Heidi Everson, 42, of Augusta and formerly of Waterville, pleaded guilty Tuesday to operating under the influence of intoxicants, endangering the welfare of a child and assault, all related to a May 30 motor vehicle crash at Oak and Ticonic streets in Waterville.

At a hearing in the Capital Judicial Center, she was ordered to serve a split sentence: an initial 50 days in jail followed by two years of probation. The remainder of the three-year sentence was suspended.

Assistant District Attorney Francis Griffin said rescue personnel at the crash scene indicated that Everson, the driver in the single-car crash, was acting strangely at the scene and that while at Inland Hospital for treatment of her injuries, she struck one of the nurses who was trying to help her.

Griffin also said Everson’s 17-month-old daughter had been strapped into a car seat, but that the seat itself was not strapped in but was “floating” in the car. The child was not injured in the crash, but later was taken into the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Investigators later determined that while Everson did not have alcohol in her system, she told police she had taken central nervous system depressants, and those were found in a urine test, Griffin said.

Everson told Justice Robert Mullen on Tuesday that she recognized she has a substance abuse problem and will be working on it. This was her third conviction for operating under the influence. She was ordered to pay $1,400 in fines, but $300 of that was made concurrent at the defense attorney’s request.

Advertisement

Attorney Lisa Whittier said Everson “is indigent and has very limited resources.”

Everson’s license and registration privileges were suspended for six years.

A charge of driving to endanger on the same day was dismissed in exchange for her guilty pleas to the other three charges.

Everson also pleaded guilty to two counts of violating conditions of release from Sept. 4 and 18 in Augusta and received concurrent seven-day jail sentences.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.