Woman pleads guilty to 2021 fatal crash that claimed her husband’s life
Jan.
5–An Erie County woman has pleaded guilty in Crawford County Court for causing a fatal crash that killed her husband in Bloomfield Township nearly three years ago. Randi L. Cook, 35, of 6621 W.
Ridge Road, Lot 51, Fairview, pleaded guilty Thursday to homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle and driving under the influence for the crash that killed Jamie L. Higley in April 2021. Higley, 34, of Union City and Cook’s husband, was a front-seat passenger in the SUV Cook was driving when it crashed head-on with a tractor-trailer truck, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Pennsylvania State Police at Corry.
The two vehicles collided head-on at 2:45 p.m. April 8, 2021, at the intersection of Rockdale and King roads in Bloomfield Township, according to the affidavit. Cook was driving the SUV a high rate of speed when it crested a hill on Rockdale Road and collided with the truck, the affidavit said.
Cook, along with Kenneth L. Muller and Cody J. Bille, both of Union City, and passengers in the rear of the SUV, were injured in the crash, according to the affidavit.
Michael J. Rogers, 51, of Cambridge Springs, the driver of the truck, wasn’t injured. In an interview at the scene, Cook told police that she, Higley, Muller and Bille all had smoked methamphetamine about one hour prior to the crash, as reported in the affidavit.
A search warrant of Cook’s medical records pertaining to her treatment at UPMC Hamot, Erie, resulting from the crash indicated Cook’s urine contained positive levels of controlled substances, the affidavit said. Cook was charged by police with one count each of homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, driving under the influence, careless driving — unintentional death, reckless driving and failure to use seat belts, and two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. She was scheduled to go on trial next week in Crawford County Court, but reached a plea deal with the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office.
Story continues Cook pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon before Judge Mark Stevens to homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and one count of aggravated assault by vehicle in exchange for the remaining charges not being prosecuted. Assistant District Attorney Andrew J.
Natalo told the court that as part of the plea deal, there was an agreed upon sentence for Cook reached between himself and Cook’s lawyer, Gary Kern, the county’s first assistant public defender. The agreed upon sentence is a maximum county jail term of 11 and one-half months to two years less one day followed by five years of probation. The court still must formally accept the sentence.
The homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle charges both are graded as a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of seven years and a £15,000 fine each. The driving under the influence count is an ungraded misdemeanor count with a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a £5,000 fine. Cook remains free on £20,000 unsecured bond awaiting sentencing March 1 by Stevens.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at [email protected][1].
References
- ^ [email protected] (uk.news.yahoo.com)