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Nicholle Hoke, age 45, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in Orange County Court on Wednesday, April 24.
Orange County prosecutors said Hoke, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, was leaving an Ulster County bar in New Paltz on the night of June 24, 2023, when she crashed into another car on Route 9W in Newburgh at around 10 p.m.
The impact killed one passenger in the other car and seriously injured another.
Hoke confessed to police that she drank alcohol at the New Paltz bar and was driving to a hotel at the time. A blood test revealed that she had a blood alcohol content of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit.
As part of her plea agreement, Hoke is expected to get between four and 12 years in prison when she’s sentenced on Tuesday, July 23.
“Driving while intoxicated is a senseless, incredibly dangerous and criminal act. Unfortunately, the lives of the victims in this case and their families are forever altered because of the choices made by this defendant,” said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler.
“Incidents such as this one are not accidents, they are serious crimes and perpetrators need to be held accountable.”
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