Drunk Driver Causes Fatal Crash In Hudson Valley After Leaving Bar: Here's Her Sentence

A 45-year-old woman will spend several years in prison after causing a fatal crash in the Hudson Valley while driving at twice the legal limit on her way from a bar in the region.

Oklahoma resident Nicholle Hoke of Shawnee, age 45, was sentenced on Tuesday, July 23 to four to 12 years in prison in connection with a June 2023 crash in Newburgh that killed one person, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced.

On the day of the crash, June 24, 2023, at around 10 p.m., Hoke crashed her car into another vehicle on Route 9W in Newburgh.

As a result of the crash, one passenger in the other vehicle was killed and another was seriously injured, according to Hoovler.

Hoke later told authorities that she had been driving to her hotel room from an Ulster County bar in the town of New Paltz where she had been drinking. A warrant was then signed to have Hoke's blood drawn, which revealed her blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit at 0.16 percent.

During her plea proceedings, Hoke admitted she had engaged in reckless driving and caused the crash, according to Hoovler. She previously pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide.

"In a moment, the defendant’s callous actions stole the life of one innocent person, and forever changed the life of another," Hoovler said of the case, continuing:

"The significant sentence imposed in this case should stand as a warning to those who might consider making the same criminal choices this defendant made. Incidents such as this one are not accidents, they are serious crimes and perpetrators must be held accountable."