A Colbert woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a crash almost two years ago that killed a Kingston woman and injured her husband.
Twenty-five-year-old Bailey Reeann Michelle Lessly was sentenced Nov. 18 to 25 years for first-degree manslaughter and five years for DUI with BAC of .08 or more - great bodily injury. Bryan County District Judge Mark Campbell ordered the sentences to be served concurrently for a total of 25 years.
Lessly had previously entered a blind plea of guilty to the charges on Oct. 1 which means a plea agreement was not reached.
A court document states Lessly was under the influence of alcohol and other substances during a Dec. 2, 2022, crash on South Ninth Avenue north of Choctaw Road that killed 50-yearold Melanie Ward. Roberto Maldonado, her husband, was injured.
Durant firefighters were dispatched at 10:38 that evening and when they arrived, the driver of a Cadillac later identified as Ward, was deceased.
According to a DFD report, the other car, a Ford Taurus, had been driven by a woman and she was pinned in the car and had leg injuries. The woman was later identified as Lessly.
A marijuana-like odor was noticed emitting from the car, the report stated, and Lessly told a police officer she had been drinking but was unsure where and that she was driving home when the crash occurred.
Ward was an employee of OK Behavioral Health and according to a social media post after her death, she had worked for the company since she was 24 years old.
She was described as loyally dedicating her time to make the company what it is today.