(WWJ) -- A woman who pleaded guilty to the drunk driving crash that killed a Monroe County Animal Control Officer last year has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Michele Dropulich, of Hudson, was sentenced Thursday, getting 17-30 years behind bars as part of a pre-sentence agreement when she pleaded guilty earlier this summer to the June 2020 crash that claimed the life of 24-year-old Monroe County Animal Control Officer Darrian Young.
Young, of Deerfield, Mich., was killed on June 4, 2020 when her patrol vehicle was struck at the intersection of M-50 and Rainsville Road.
Judge Michael Weiper told Dropiluch she had been drinking at a motel before getting behind the wheel of her vehicle and proceeding to cause “pure mayhem,” as Weipert put it Thursday.
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Dropulich drove at speeds in excess of 80 mph during the chaotic drive in which she ran red lights, hit cars, damaged property and nearly struck a pedestrian before slamming into Young’s patrol vehicle.
Dropulich questioned authorities Thursday because she couldn’t remember how the crash happened, blaming others for the incident and claiming police needed to do a better job of investigating.
Young was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was put on life support and succumbed to her injuries the next day.
Following the crash, a GoFundMe page had been set up, where Young’s family said she was only able to help the animals of Monroe County for one year before her life was cut short. She was looking forward to getting married and buying a horse farm with her fiancée, according to her family.
Young’s family spoke in court Thursday, telling the judge they want a photo of Young to hang in Dropulich’s cell, according to a story from WDIV.
In addition to prison time, Dropulich was also ordered to pay more than $55,000 in restitution for the crash.
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