A Bristol man has pleaded guilty to felony aggravated driving to endanger in connection with a 2011 car accident that seriously injured a Bristol woman.
Laurence N. Holmes, 53, received a suspended nine-month jail sentence, a year of probation, an 18-month driver’s license suspension and a $575 fine. He entered the plea Oct. 7 in Lincoln County Superior Court.
The maximum sentence for the Class C crime was five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Nancy Hanna sustained serious injuries in the Dec. 13, 2011 accident. The town of Bremen terminated her from her job as town clerk six weeks later, while she was still in the hospital.
Holmes was driving his 2002 Subaru Impreza north on Route 32 in Bristol when a vehicle in front of him slowed to turn into a driveway, according to The Lincoln County News archives.
He pulled into the southbound lane to pass the vehicle and collided head-on with Hanna, who was driving her 2005 Dodge Neon south on Route 32.
Holmes was also injured in the accident. He was not charged with a crime until more than a year later, when a Lincoln County grand jury indicted him for felony driving to endanger.
According to the indictment, he “did with criminal negligence, drive a motor vehicle … in a manner that endangered … a person … and caused serious bodily injury to Nancy Hanna.”
