A New London woman convicted of killing an Iola teenager in a drunk driving crash will serve a year in the Waupaca County Jail.
Circuit Court Judge Ray Huber handed down the sentence Wednesday for 40-year-old Heather Schmidt, who pleaded no contest in August to a felony charge in the OWI homicide of 18-year-old Dylan Thorne. Schmidt had more than twice the legal blood alcohol concentration when she crossed the centerline of a county highway in July of 2012, colliding with Throne’s vehicle head-on.
Huber imposed a stayed five year prison term for Schmidt, along with 10 years of probation. She will have to serve a year in jail over the course of the next decade, which will include spending every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in jail, along with Dylan’s birthday and the July 19 anniversary of the crash.
Schmidt was also ordered to pay $11,000 in restitution and to maintain absolute sobriety.
Contributed by Jack Barry, WDUX