Jacksonville

Woman Gets 15 Years for Jacksonville DUI Crash That Killed 1 Mother

The fatal crash took place in December 2018 on Interstate 95 in Jacksonville.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday for a drunken driving crash that left an off-duty corrections officer dead.

Kim Michelle Johnston, 46, pleaded no contest to DUI manslaughter in October in St. Johns County court, the Florida Times-Union reported.

Cathy Adams, 43, and her husband were heading home to Jacksonville on Interstate 95 after a state championship high school football game last December when Johnston’s car collided with their SUV, authorities said.

The couple's vehicle swerved across multiple lanes and overturned. Cathy Adams died, while her husband was hospitalized in critical condition. His teenage son and daughter suffered minor injuries, the Florida Highway Patrol said. No injuries were reported for Johnston.

Johnston’s blood-alcohol level was 0.126 percent, troopers reported. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08 percent.

Adams and her husband, a police officer, both worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

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