MONROE - A Rockford woman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, along with five years of extend supervision, for causing a head-on crash that killed a Browntown man while she was driving drunk.
Maquita Q. C. Stokes, 31, appeared in Green County Court Friday with defense attorney Guy Taylor. On Jan. 27, she was found guilty of felony homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle after entering a no-contest plea for the Aug. 8, 2013 crash that killed 81-year-old Antone C. Grawehr. She had a Class D felony count of homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited blood-alcohol concentration dismissed. She also had four Class F felony counts dismissed: two for injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle and two for injury by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration. The counts were dismissed as a part of the plea agreement, with the count for injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle dismissed but read-in.
Stokes' 30-month sentence includes conditions that she pay restitution, abstain from alcohol, and undergo treatment and counseling as deemed appropriate.
During the sentence hearing, Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman said that at the time of the accident, Stokes was 30-year-old mother of five children with no criminal record, who had worked full-time for about six or seven years. But she made the decision to drive home after she consumed alcoholic beverages and she was "not in a safe and sober condition to operate a vehicle."
Alma Grawehr, 82, the widow of Antone Grawehr, submitted a statement read by Luhman. Grawehr hoped that Stokes not waste the time she had in front of her and take whatever help is offered her.
"No matter what happens today, it won't bring Tony back. But we can learn from this day," she wrote in her statement. "My life has changed so much; we did everything together in our retirement years. He was my supporter, my caretaker, driver, friend, husband of marriage of 62 years, my soul mate, my helper in every way; he will be truly missed."
Alma Grawehr also expressed her forgiveness.
"Tony would wish none of us to hurt any more, so I wanted to tell you I forgive and I know you didn't do this on purpose."
Taylor read from Stokes' statement, in which she gave her sympathies to the Grawehr family.
"If I could take his place so that you guys could have him back, I would," Stokes wrote in her statement.
"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of about what I have done. I beat myself up every day for my stupidity. By making that irresponsible decision that night caused me to hurt two families - both yours and mine and it is killing me slowly every day knowing the hurt that I have caused you and looking into my kids' and family's eyes and seeing the hurt that they have."
Stokes' life, character and actions on the night of the accident were not well represented during in the documents before the courts, Taylor argued. Taylor used a phrase from Stokes' aunt's statement that "she's a good girl" several times.
According to Taylor, Stokes never intended to drive home on the night of the accident. After working a 12-hour shift, Stokes drove her aunt from Rockford to another aunt, who was sick, in Milwaukee. The Rockford aunt wanted to get back home, but Stokes wanted to spend the night at the Milwaukee aunt's house because she was tired and had been drinking. The Rockford aunt told the Milwaukee aunt not to commit to having Stokes spend the night, and Stokes was forced to drive back to Rockford.
Taylor said Stokes became lost in the Brodhead area. The accident occurred at about 10 p.m. south of Brodhead on Wis. 81.
The court should look at who Stokes is as a person, Taylor said. He argued pre-trial investigation papers have unjust statements in it, including hits on Stokes' character.
As punishment, Taylor sought one year in county jail, allowing Stokes to be closer to her community, family and to her children. During the hearing, Taylor reported that Stokes is expecting another child. After the hearing, he confirmed to The Monroe Times that she was about 16 weeks pregnant.
While the sentencing from Vale was less than the recommendation from Luhman, Taylor wasn't happy with the sentence.
"I again failed to persuade the court," Taylor said outside of court. "Everything I said in court, I said from the heart. Everything I said, I meant."
When asked what he thought the Stokes family's reaction to the sentencing was, he reiterated statements what he said in court, that Stokes family "are good people; they are responsible people."
Luhman said the case was tragic for everyone involved.
Court records indicate that on the night of the accident, Antone and Alma Grawehr were on their way home from their son's wedding in Milwaukee, traveling westbound on Wis. 81 when Stokes' eastbound SUV swerved over the center line and collided head-on with the Grawehr's silver Dodge Caravan.
Antone Grawehr died on the scene due to cardiac arrest, after the force of the crash crushed his legs, broke his ribs, fractured his pelvis and left him with multiple lacerations and head injuries. His wife had a broken wrist.
Stokes' passenger Charlotte M. Jones, 41, had her arm fractured in the crash. Stokes also suffered serious injuries including a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a broken leg and was flown via helicopter to a Rockford hospital the day of the crash.
Maquita Q. C. Stokes, 31, appeared in Green County Court Friday with defense attorney Guy Taylor. On Jan. 27, she was found guilty of felony homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle after entering a no-contest plea for the Aug. 8, 2013 crash that killed 81-year-old Antone C. Grawehr. She had a Class D felony count of homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited blood-alcohol concentration dismissed. She also had four Class F felony counts dismissed: two for injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle and two for injury by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration. The counts were dismissed as a part of the plea agreement, with the count for injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle dismissed but read-in.
Stokes' 30-month sentence includes conditions that she pay restitution, abstain from alcohol, and undergo treatment and counseling as deemed appropriate.
During the sentence hearing, Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman said that at the time of the accident, Stokes was 30-year-old mother of five children with no criminal record, who had worked full-time for about six or seven years. But she made the decision to drive home after she consumed alcoholic beverages and she was "not in a safe and sober condition to operate a vehicle."
Alma Grawehr, 82, the widow of Antone Grawehr, submitted a statement read by Luhman. Grawehr hoped that Stokes not waste the time she had in front of her and take whatever help is offered her.
"No matter what happens today, it won't bring Tony back. But we can learn from this day," she wrote in her statement. "My life has changed so much; we did everything together in our retirement years. He was my supporter, my caretaker, driver, friend, husband of marriage of 62 years, my soul mate, my helper in every way; he will be truly missed."
Alma Grawehr also expressed her forgiveness.
"Tony would wish none of us to hurt any more, so I wanted to tell you I forgive and I know you didn't do this on purpose."
Taylor read from Stokes' statement, in which she gave her sympathies to the Grawehr family.
"If I could take his place so that you guys could have him back, I would," Stokes wrote in her statement.
"There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of about what I have done. I beat myself up every day for my stupidity. By making that irresponsible decision that night caused me to hurt two families - both yours and mine and it is killing me slowly every day knowing the hurt that I have caused you and looking into my kids' and family's eyes and seeing the hurt that they have."
Stokes' life, character and actions on the night of the accident were not well represented during in the documents before the courts, Taylor argued. Taylor used a phrase from Stokes' aunt's statement that "she's a good girl" several times.
According to Taylor, Stokes never intended to drive home on the night of the accident. After working a 12-hour shift, Stokes drove her aunt from Rockford to another aunt, who was sick, in Milwaukee. The Rockford aunt wanted to get back home, but Stokes wanted to spend the night at the Milwaukee aunt's house because she was tired and had been drinking. The Rockford aunt told the Milwaukee aunt not to commit to having Stokes spend the night, and Stokes was forced to drive back to Rockford.
Taylor said Stokes became lost in the Brodhead area. The accident occurred at about 10 p.m. south of Brodhead on Wis. 81.
The court should look at who Stokes is as a person, Taylor said. He argued pre-trial investigation papers have unjust statements in it, including hits on Stokes' character.
As punishment, Taylor sought one year in county jail, allowing Stokes to be closer to her community, family and to her children. During the hearing, Taylor reported that Stokes is expecting another child. After the hearing, he confirmed to The Monroe Times that she was about 16 weeks pregnant.
While the sentencing from Vale was less than the recommendation from Luhman, Taylor wasn't happy with the sentence.
"I again failed to persuade the court," Taylor said outside of court. "Everything I said in court, I said from the heart. Everything I said, I meant."
When asked what he thought the Stokes family's reaction to the sentencing was, he reiterated statements what he said in court, that Stokes family "are good people; they are responsible people."
Luhman said the case was tragic for everyone involved.
Court records indicate that on the night of the accident, Antone and Alma Grawehr were on their way home from their son's wedding in Milwaukee, traveling westbound on Wis. 81 when Stokes' eastbound SUV swerved over the center line and collided head-on with the Grawehr's silver Dodge Caravan.
Antone Grawehr died on the scene due to cardiac arrest, after the force of the crash crushed his legs, broke his ribs, fractured his pelvis and left him with multiple lacerations and head injuries. His wife had a broken wrist.
Stokes' passenger Charlotte M. Jones, 41, had her arm fractured in the crash. Stokes also suffered serious injuries including a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a broken leg and was flown via helicopter to a Rockford hospital the day of the crash.