Va. man pleads guilty to DUI in local WVU student's death

April 19, 2010

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- An Oakton, Va., man has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in the Feb. 27 death of a 20-year-old Hagerstown man on the West Virginia University campus in Morgantown.

Jeffrey Scott Rifkin, 21, was sentenced Thursday by Monongalia County Magistrate Jim Nabors to serve 24 hours of a 30-day jail sentence and was placed on unsupervised probation for one year, according to Nabors' office.

Rifkin also was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and pay a $100 fine and court costs.

Sean Kyrie Rascoe, who was a junior at West Virginia University, died from head trauma when he fell from a car that was being driven by Rifkin, WVU officials have said.

A WVU spokeswoman said Rascoe jumped up on the bumper of a car when he thought his friends were leaving.

The day after the accident was Rascoe's birthday, and members of his family were planning to drive from Hagerstown to Morgantown to celebrate.

Rascoe's father, Melvin Rascoe, said Rascoe was the "ideal son" and was a happy-go-lucky person.

Rascoe was studying industrial engineering at WVU, according to his mother, Benita Rascoe.

He had been interviewing for a couple of jobs and had sent an application to Walt Disney World after a company representative expressed interest in him during a job fair, Benita Rascoe said.

Rascoe attended Yellow Springs and Whittier elementary schools and Gov. Thomas Johnson Middle School in Frederick, Md., his mother said. After attending St. John's at Prospect Hall his freshman year, the family moved to the Hagerstown area and Rascoe began attending Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md.

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