A Cobb County woman turned down the option of probation and treatment for her drug problem. Instead, she was sentenced to 10 years, including three behind bars, followed by drug treatment for a crash that injured one of her children, the Cobb district attorney said Friday.
A jury convicted Andrea Nicole Bolton, 32, of Kennesaw, for possession of heroin, one count of serious injury by vehicle and reckless driving, DA Vic Reynolds said. Bolton was acquitted of DUI, another count of serious injury by vehicle and endangering a child.
“This is one of the most dangerous types of addicts – someone who won’t admit they have a problem,” Theresa Schiefer, assistant DA, said during sentencing. “It seems the crash would have been a wake-up call. Now it’s two years later, we’ve continued to have dirty drug screens, and I continue to hear denial.”
On April 1, 2013, Bolton was driving a black Chevrolet C1500 on South Cobb Drive near Barclay Circle when the truck left the roadway and struck three utility poles, breaking one in half, according to police. The truck flipped, trapping the front-seat passenger, who had to be cut from the wreckage, police said.
According to an arrest warrant issued two days after the crash, the injured passenger had two broken ankles and possibly a broken leg. She was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for treatment.
Heroin and syringes were found in Bolton’s bag at the scene of the crash, though she insisted they were not hers, investigators said. Before trial, she rejected a plea offer of probation and treatment. On Wednesday, a jury convicted Bolton, and sentencing was Friday.
Bolton’s mother testified on her behalf this morning, Reynolds said. Superior Court Chief Judge Stephen Schuster asked her what Bolton has done about her drug problem since the crash.
“Is this defendant going to fight to make herself well, or is she always going to blame it on others?” Schuster asked. “We see in a number of cases that they (drug users) don’t want to admit to their families that they have a problem. Our worldview now is that treatment is better than prison, but the person has to want it. … This could have been a case where a 6-year-old child died.”
Schuster then sentenced Bolton to 10 years, with three years to serve in custody and the rest on probation, the DA said. As a condition of her probation, she must complete a residential treatment program.
Bolton, who had been out of jail on bond, was returned to the Cobb County jail after her conviction.
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