MOUNT CLEMENS, Michigan - A 48-year-old woman accused of driving drunk when she caused a crash last year that killed four teenagers in suburban Detroit has been sentenced to 22.5 to 25 years in prison.
Frances Dingle of Mount Clemens was sentenced Thursday in Macomb County Circuit Court after family members of the teens asked for strong punishment. She pleaded no contest last month to four counts of second-degree murder.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.
Defense lawyer Michael Dennis has said Dingle was remorseful. A statement she prepared said "a very bad decision was made."
Authorities say Dingle's blood-alcohol level after the March 2009 crash in Roseville was 0.16 percent, twice the state's legal limit.
