Hempstead Woman Pleads Guilty To Driving Drunk, Killing Woman: DA

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A Hempstead woman has pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol that led to the killing of a woman in August of 2021, prosecutors announced.

Shawnet Earle, 32, veered off the roadway and fatally struck Blanche Pope, 60, of Wheatley Heights, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

Pope was walking on the side of the road less than a mile from her home.

"This tragedy could have been avoided if the defendant, who was not supposed to be driving due
to a suspended license, did not drive drunk and high," Tierney said.

Earle pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges that include aggravated vehicular homicide and second-degree manslaughter.

Shortly after midnight on Aug. 6, 2021, Earle left a bar in Suffolk County where she had been drinking alcohol. Earle was driving eastbound on Main Street in Wheatley Heights, when she left the roadway, knocked over a traffic sign, and struck Pope, who was walking on the side of the road, the DA's office said.

Earle was arrested on Jan. 26.

She is due back in court on May 24 and is expected to be sentenced to 4 to 12 years in prison, Tierney said.