Oklahoma woman sentenced in fatal 2023 drunk driving crash in Newburgh

An Oklahoma woman was sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for killing a Kingston woman in a drunk driving crash last year in Newburgh.

Nicholle Hoke, 45, of Shawnee, Oklahoma, was sentenced in Orange County Court to four to 12 years in prison following her guilty plea to aggravated vehicular homicide.

Hoke crashed her vehicle into another on state Route 9W in the town of Newburgh while driving to her hotel from a bar in New Paltz on the night of June 23, 2023.

Her blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.16%, twice the legal limit in New York state.

Background on this case: Oklahoma woman pleads guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in town of Newburgh crash

According to police records, Hoke was driving south when her vehicle crossed into the northbound lane. The driver of an oncoming vehicle swerved in an attempt to dodge Hoke’s vehicle but was unsuccessful, suffering serious injuries.

A passenger in the second vehicle, Laura Chavez-Aralos, 61, of Kingston, was taken to Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in the city of Newburgh, where she died from her injuries.

“In a moment, the defendant’s callous actions stole the life of one innocent person, and forever changed the life of another,” Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said in a statement. “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,” he continued, emphasizing his office’s commitment to combatting drunken driving.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Oklahoma woman sentenced in fatal 2023 drunk driving crash in Newburgh