Overland Park man sentenced in hit-and-run that killed 10-year-old girl near Lawrence

An Overland Park man was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to the killing of 10-year-old Brooklyn Brouhard, who died in a motorcycle crash near Lawrence in May.

Jose Alfredo Galiano-Meza, 29, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for one count of involuntary manslaughter in the hit-and-run that killed Brooklyn and one count of aggravated battery for injuries sustained by her grandfather, according to a news release from the Douglas County District Court.

“Mr. Galiano-Meza’s actions devastated a family and an entire community,” District Attorney Suzanne Valdez said in the news release. “My hope is that holding the defendant accountable for his decisions that day will help to heal those who were cared for and loved by Brooklyn.”

After his release from prison, Galiano-Meza will serve two years of probation, and will be required to register as a violent offender for 15 years.

On May 14, Galiano-Meza drove past a stop sign at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10 and hit a motorcycle driven by Brooklyn’s grandfather, Barry Larson.

The motorcycle, which Brooklyn was also on, overturned and Galiano-Meza drove away, leaving part of the van’s bumper behind, according to the sheriff’s office. About a month later, he was arrested in Martinsville, Indiana by U.S. Marshals and Indiana State Troopers.

After the crash, Brooklyn was taken to the hospital in critical condition but died the next day.

Brooklyn, a student at Eudora Elementary School, loved gymnastics, playing cards with her great grandmother and baking with her mother among other activities, according to her obituary.

“Brooklyn loved life and saw the best in everyone she met,” her family wrote. “She was truly a gift from God and an inspiration to everyone.”

The Star’s Maia Bond and Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.