A woman who crashed her vehicle last summer on the Wood River Trails bike path pleaded guilty Monday to felony driving under the influence in Blaine County 5th District Court.
Kolleen A. Hayden, a 50-year-old Burley woman, was arrested the afternoon of July 3 on the bike path just north of St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center south of Ketchum. Blaine County Sheriff's officers were unsure at that time how far Hayden had driven on the bike path, but her cruise came to an end around 4 p.m. when she slid down an embankment and lodged her 1999 GMC Yukon against a tree.
Hayden was charged with a felony because of prior DUI convictions in Cassia County in 2001 and 2005.
Her guilty plea Monday was in accord with a plea agreement with the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which will recommend that Hayden be sentenced to 90 days in jail, be sentenced to a suspended seven-year prison sentence, be placed on probation for three years and receive substance abuse evaluation and treatment while on probation.
Defendants are typically charged with a felony in DUI cases if they've had two prior DUI convictions within the past 10 years. Felony DUI is punishable in Idaho by up to 10 years in prison.
Hayden had been incarcerated since her arrest, which totaled 102 days behind bars as of Monday. Judge Robert J. Elgee released her on her own recognizance following the hearing because the recommended sentence is less than the time she has already spent in jail. Sentencing was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Dec. 1.
Hayden is a former caseworker for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Kolleen A. Hayden
