Local resident Chloe Massin was sentenced Monday at the Wrangell Courthouse to serve 45 days in prison for felony assault.
Ketchikan District Court Judge Kevin Miller imposed a 36-month prison sentence with 33 months suspended. Half of the 3-month prison time was converted to community work service.
Massin was also sentenced to five years of probation and a three-year driver’s license revocation.
The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges. They include another felony for leaving the accident without assisting an injured person, and three misdemeanors for Driving Under the Influence, failure to immediately report an accident, and failure to show proof of insurance.
According to public defender Michael Pate, several people were getting into Massin’s car after leaving a local bar in early February. Massin, intoxicated, ran over one of the men with her car and caused severe injuries. Massin left the scene and turned herself in to Wrangell police a few days after the incident. The victim was in a Seattle hospital for a month, but he did not want to name Massin in the case or seek compensation for medical costs.
Although the minimum sentence for felony assault is five years, Prosecutor Jane Seaton requested a much shorter sentence. She cited Massin’s lack of prior criminal history, her good standing in the community, and the victim not seeking restitution as reasons for a lenient sentencing.
Despite the serious charges, Judge Miller agreed and called the case “very unusual.”
Conditions of the five-year probation include completion of the sentence, no jailable offenses, completion of treatment recommended by Alaska Island Community Services, and no consumption of alcohol. Massin is also prohibited from entering establishments that mainly sell alcohol, except for the Elks Lodge, where she works as a cook.
For the DUI, Massin was also sentenced to serve 3 days and pay a $2000 fine, with $500 of that suspended. Massin must also pay various court and jail surcharges.
