She also must serve a remaining 62 days in jail, followed by three years’ probation.
BAY CITY, MI — A drunken hit-and-run has cost a Traverse City woman a five-figure sum and a few more months behind bars.
Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill on Monday, July 31, sentenced 37-year-old Renee A. Gines to 120 days in jail with credit for 58 days already served. Upon release, she is to be on probation for three years.
Gill also ordered Gines to pay $14,482.47 in restitution to Ameriprise Insurance Company.
Gines in April pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, third offense — a five-year felony — driving while license suspended, denied, or revoked, and failure to stop at a property damage accident. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to not seek a habitual offender sentencing enhancement.
No other charges were dismissed. However, as Gines was free on bond after pleading and failed to appear for her May 15 sentencing, she was subsequently charged with and pleaded guilty to attempted absconding on bond.
Gines committed her drunken driving offense little more than a year ago. The afternoon of July 17,2016, a Michigan State Police trooper received a hit-and-run complaint that had just occurred on US-10 near Carter Road in Williams Township. The offending vehicle was described as a light-green Volvo, with the struck vehicle being a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox, court records show.
The trooper spotted a 1998 Volvo station wagon driving at a high speed east on US-10 near Mackinaw Road and pulled it over. On making contact with the driver, identified as Gines, the trooper could smell intoxicants and spotted several small bottles of cinnamon whiskey on the Volvo’s floorboard, court records show.
Gines told the trooper she didn’t stop after striking another car that was also eastbound on US-10 because she was scared and didn’t have a license, court records show. Gines went on to tell the trooper she had two shots while driving south from Traverse City and that she is an alcoholic, court records show.
The trooper arrested Gines. At the jail, Gines submitted to two personal Breathalyzer tests, the results of which indicated her blood alcohol level was at 0.21 percent. In Michigan, a person is legally intoxicated when his or her blood alcohol level reaches 0.08, and is super drunk when the level reaches 0.17.
The driver of the Equinox told police she was driving east and saw the Volvo approaching behind her, straddling the dividing line. The Equinox driver said she moved to the shoulder and was still clipped by the Volvo, which went into the median before taking off, court records show.
