Hunter
03/15/22
A North Liberty woman has reached a plea deal involving a July 2020 incident in which the ATV she was operating crashed, killing her passenger.
The Gazette reports that 64-year-old Julie Bell pleaded guilty to a homicide by vehicle reckless driving charge Friday in Johnson County District Court. A charge of homicide by vehicle — operating under the influence will be dismissed at sentencing as part of the plea agreement.
Bell called authorities the evening of July 16th 2020, reporting that she was driving an all-terrain vehicle at her property on Newport Road in Solon when she lost control. Arriving deputies found her passenger and friend, 65-year-old Mary Kay Knight, pinned under the vehicle in a ravine. She was unresponsive, and deputies were unable to find a pulse. Emergency personnel who arrived confirmed that Knight was dead.
Bell allegedly smelled of ingested alcohol and was slurring her words when speaking with deputies. She said she had to run to the house to call 911 because she lost her phone when the ATV rolled. It was eventually found underneath the victim.
Bell was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment of her injuries; she allegedly said that she had just killed her best friend in the presence of a deputy. A search warrant was obtained for a blood sample, and her blood alcohol level was found to be over the legal limit to operate a vehicle. She reportedly admitted that she and Knight had drank a full and partial bottle of wine before taking a ride on the ATV.
Bell faces up to ten years in prison when she’s sentenced on May 9th.