Woman Gets Prison For D'Ville Crash

From the Capital-Gazette:

An Edgewater woman was sentenced Tuesday to three and a half years in prison after she pleaded guilty to being drunk during a Davidsonville accident that left one man dead in 2016.

Michelle Lee Brookman, 44, was sentenced by Judge J. Michael Wachs after she had pleaded guilty in August to negligent homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Police said Brookman was driving a Ford Mustang in June of last year when she failed to negotiate a turn while traveling south on Beards Point Road, sending the car into a tree.

A passenger in the vehicle, John David Fisher, 44, of Edgewater, was declared dead at the scene and two others were critically injured but survived, police said.

Brookman suffered minor injuries.

At the time, police said Brookman was traveling at a high rate of speed.

Brookman also has a history of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, according to online court records.

She pleaded guilty to attempting to drive a vehicle while under the influence in 2009 and was issued a probation before judgment, records show.

In 2010, she was found guilty of negligent driving that contributed to an accident, court records show. A charge of driving and attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by drugs and/or alcohol was placed on an inactive docket.

She would be found guilty of driving and attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by alcohol in 2012, court records state.

After the 2016 crash and Fisher’s death, Brookman was indicted on 11 charges and eight traffic citations.

In a plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to the one felony charge while all others were dismissed, State’s Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Emily Morse said.

In addition to prison, Brookman must also serve a five-year supervised probationary sentence upon release and perform 40 hours of community service.

Brookman’s attorney, Crofton-based Richard Trunnell, did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

More info about the accident can be read at:    https://davidsonvillenews.blogspot.com/2016/06/from-capital-gazette-fire-officials-at.html