Nov. 16, 2023 3p
(WGTD)---A Kenosha judge gave a mother a three-year prison term Thursday for driving drunk and crashing her car into a tree at a high rate of speed last spring.
28-year-old Erika McCoy's two children--ages 8 and 3--were in the car and not properly restrained. One suffered serious injuries.
Judge Jason Rossell fashioned a sentence that he said would send a message yet allow McCoy to be released early if she meets several conditions while in prison. In addition, McCoy received credit for having served some eight months behind bars while awaiting the resolution of her case.
McCoy had pleaded guilty to two counts in a plea bargain. McCoy's attorney, Michelle Gardner, had recommended jail in lieu of prison, followed by supervision.
Rossell noted that McCoy--up until the time of the crash--had a clean record. She also completed classes while in jail.
Defense attorney Gardner said that McCoy had lost her sister just before the crash, and was using alcohol as a way to numb the pain. McCoy hopes to be reunited with her children--who remain in foster care--once she gets released from prison and meets other conditions, according to her attorney.
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