Woman pleads guilty in Allenspark DUI crash that injured cyclist

Daily Camera (Boulder, CO)

Jun. 20--An Allenspark woman accused of hitting a bicyclist on Colo. 7 while driving under the influence pleaded guilty Thursday and received probation and a deferred sentence.

Amber Michelle Okuley, 32, pleaded guilty in Boulder District Court to one count of vehicular assault and one count of driving under the influence, according to court records.

Okuley was sentenced to three years of probation and 75 hours of community service for the DUI, and a three-year deferred sentence on the vehicular assault charge.

A deferred sentence means that if Okuley completes the terms of the sentence and doesn't get arrested on any new charges in the next three years, her guilty plea to the felony will be withdrawn.

Prosecutors dismissed charges of careless driving resulting in injury and failure to provide proof of insurance as part of the plea deal, according to court records.

According to an affidavit, the Colorado State Patrol responded to a crash between a Jeep Cherokee and a bicyclist near the 23 mile marker of Colo. 7 on March 17.

Troopers said it appeared Okuley was driving the Jeep west on Colo. 7 when she lost control and veered to the right and then overcorrected into the opposite lane, striking a cyclist headed east.

The cyclist, identified in the affidavit as Mary Salsich, was airlifted to Longmont United Hospital with serious injuries.

Okuley, who identified herself as the driver of the Jeep, said she was going home to Allenspark when she lost control of her vehicle. According to the affidavit, Okuley admitted to having four drinks at Oskar Blues in Lyons in the approximately three hours before she started driving. The trooper noted she smelled of alcohol and failed roadside maneuvers.

Troopers also said skid mark analysis indicated Okuley was driving "much faster" than the posted 35 mph speed limit.

The two cyclists riding with Salsich both said they did not see the crash, while Okuley's passenger said he was "half asleep" during the drive and also appeared to be intoxicated.

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