Crime & Safety
Royal Oak Woman Pleads Guilty in Drunken Driving Death
Kelley Marie Nagle, 20, could face 15 years prison time in January fatality.
MOUNT CLEMENS – A 20-year-old Royal Oak woman faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday in the .
Kelley Marie Nagle sobbed as she entered her plea in the Jan. 16 crash that claimed the life of Annette Eileen Evans, 53, of Richmond.
Nagle, who admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the crash, was on probation for a 2009 drunken driving incident.
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She is scheduled to be sentenced 8:30 a.m. Sept. 7 after pleading guilty to driving drunk while causing a fatality, a felony that carries up to 15 years prison time.
While the Macomb County prosecutor's office made no sentencing recommendation, Macomb Circuit Judge Matthew Switalski asked Nagle if she understood she could face the maximum sentence. "Taking the violation of your probation into account, it could max you out," the judge said.
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Her voice cracking, Nagle told the judge she could not recall how much she had to drink that evening.
Nagle's attorney, D. Todd Williams of Farmington Hills, said a probation department report should be available at the time of sentencing and could help determine his cleint's fate.
"This is a tragedy for both families. It's just a very, very sad situation," said Williams, who offered his condolences to Evans' family members outside the courtroom.
Dan Evans, the victim's husband and one of nine family members in attendance Tuesday, declined comment on behalf of the family. "We're putting our thoughts together and we might have something to say in a day or two," Evans said.
A secondary count of operating while impaired, a one-year misdemeanor, was dismissed as part of Nagle's plea agreement.
Nagle was driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer southbound on Dequindre Road, south of 19 Mile Road, in Sterling Heights shortly after midnight Jan. 16 when she attempted to pass a red Mazda sedan in front of her and ended up driving head-on into oncoming traffic, according to Sterling Heights Police. Nagle's vehicle struck the Ford Ranger driven by Evans, pinning the victim inside.
Evans was transported to Beaumont Hospital, Troy, where she was pronounced dead. No one else involved in the accident was injured.
Tests indicated Nagle’s blood alcohol level was 0.23, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s office said – nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
Nagle pled not guilty during her Jan. 18 arraignment and has been free on $100,000 bond while ordered to wear a GPS device and alcohol monitoring system.
