A former Madison police officer has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for driving drunk last June with a 5-year-old in the car.
Kelly Hoeft also must pay a $500 fine and court costs, along with a 14-month license revocation and mandatory assessment.
A tearful Hoeft apologized to the court.
“I’m very sorry. I screwed up and made a mistake,” she said. “We all know better, but we all make mistakes. Maybe not as big as mine, but we all make mistakes.”
Prosecutor James Woywod argued for the mandatory minimum recommendation of 90 days in jail, however Judge Jill Karofsky noted Hoeft’s completion of a treatment program and work to move forward with her life in imposing the 30 day sentence.
Woywod said that although OWI’s are commonplace, an OWI with a child in the car are relatively rare.
Hoeft’s attorney, Sarvan Singh, had argued for a five-day sentence during the sentencing hearing Friday.
However Karofsky noted the potential for something serious to happen with with a 5-year-old in the car, and the Hoeft’s high blood alcohol content required jail time.
Authorities said Hoeft was off duty when she drove drunk in June 2017 with a 5-year-old child in her car, smashing into a street sign. Investigators said Hoeft’s blood alcohol level was more than three times Wisconsin’s legal limit.
Police Chief Mike Koval said Hoeft resigned in May, during a disciplinary review of her actions.
After leaving the Madison Police Department, Hoeft moved closer to family in Barron County where she works as an outreach worker with students in the Cumberland School District.
Hoeft’s supervisor, Monika Audette, operations leader and Executive Director of Barron County Restorative Justice testified on Hoeft’s behalf during the sentencing hearing.
“We need her to do her job,” Audette said. “Kelly has worked hard to come back.”
Hoeft is expected to begin her sentence in January.
For more go to WKOW: https://wkow.com/news/2018/12/07/breaking-former-madison-police-officer-sentenced-to-30-days-in-jail-on-dui-charge/