Drunken Driver Pleads No Contest In Deaths Of Four High School Students

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Frances Dingle has pleaded no contest to four counts of second degree murder in the March 16, 2009 deaths of four Lake Shore High School students in an alcohol-fueled crash in Roseville. Dingle was originally charged with four counts each of second degree murder and drunken driving causing death. She will be sentenced on May 19, 2010 before Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Don Miller who is expected to sentence her to a minimum of 18-31 years in prison.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilty but is treated as a guilty plea for purposes of sentencing. Pleas of this type are typically utilized in anticipation of civil litigation and cannot be used as evidence in a civil trial. In this case, Dingle is facing civil lawsuits in the deaths and alleges that she cannot remember much of the crash. Dingle was accused of driving with close to double the legal limit of alcohol in her system when her van crashed into the teens' car which had been stopped at a traffic light. Dingle previously told investigators she was in a drunken blackout after a daylong drinking bender.

Facing charges of OWI, DUI, DWI or Drunk Driving Causing Death? You need to contact Freedman & Freedman immediately. Our attorneys will meet with you right away and take immediate and critical steps to protect your interests and begin preparing your defense.

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