MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. -- Former tennis star Jane 'Peaches' Bartkowicz was sentenced Friday to two years probation for her guilty plea to a negligent homicide charge from a traffic fatality a year ago.
Bartkowicz, 34, who gained many national tennis honors and helped launch the women's professional tennis tour in 1970, was given less than the maximum 15-year prison term because of her 'spotless background.'
Macomb County Circuit Judge Raymond R. Cashen imposed the sentence after telling Bartkowicz, 'I know the death of this gentleman weighs heavy on your shoulders.'
Bartkowicz pleaded guilty in December to negligent homicide in the death of John Skrzypinski, 60, a night watchman who died from injuries last February after he was pinned between a stalled car and one driven by Bartkowicz.
She apparently failed to see emergency flashers on the second vehicle, which was disabled in a high-speed lane on a highway in Warren, Mich.
Besides probation, Cashen imposed a $25 monthly fee to cover costs incurred by the Macomb County Probation Department and denied her driving rights for two years.
Bartkowicz won the Wimbleton Junior title in 1967, the Canadian Open in 1968, the Swedish Open in 1969 and 1970, as well as three U.S. championships.
