Oklahoma woman sentenced to 4-12 years for fatal drunk-driving crash in Newburgh

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An Oklahoma woman will serve four to 12 years in prison for a fatal, head-on drunk driving crash that killed a woman and injured several of her family members in Newburgh last year. Nicholle Hoke, 45, was sentenced Tuesday in Orange Court in Goshen. Hoke pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide for causing the death of 61-year-old Laura Chavez-Aralos, from Kingston, on Route 9W last year. Prosecutors say Hoke was in New York to judge a dog competition in Ulster County and was staying at a hotel in New Paltz. They say she had a blood alcohol content of 0.16 at the time of the crash and was driving erratically when she crossed the double yellow line and struck the car that the victim was a passenger in last June. The victim’s nephew says while their family is grateful the court process is over, nothing will bring back their loved one. “Nobody wins. It’s tragic for everybody. We are saddened as a family and I’m sure her family is saddened as well,” says Ivan Lisboa-Ochoa. Chavez-Aralos was born in Mexico, according to her family. They say she was planning to return to care for her sick daughter when she was killed. “She came to the United States for a better life, to take care of her family at home,” says Lisboa-Ochoa. “She had her sick daughter and she supported her through her sickness, and she was on her way to go back to be with her family. Tragically, she never got that opportunity.” Prosecutors say Hoke was twice the legal limit and had two prior DWI convictions in Oklahoma in 2020. “She did not learn. She drank again, got behind the wheel again, crossed over and engaged in erratic driving again,” says Orange County Assistant District Attorney Tanja Beemer. “Only this time, leading to serious physical injury.” The victim’s sister and brother-in-law were also hurt in the collision and were among the family in court. Her one-year-old great-nephew was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash but was uninjured. “You take this as a lesson,” says Lisboa-Ochoa. “You learn from it. It does affect you for the rest of your life.” "