Drunk driver gets 15 years in crash that killed Roswell grandmother

Courtney Alysabeth Washbourne. (Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office)

Courtney Alysabeth Washbourne. (Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office)

Courtney Alysabeth Washbourne had already been arrested in 2009 for DUI when she caused the August crash that killed Sharon Freeman.

Washbourne, 39, of Maine, pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide and driving with an open container in the deadly crash at an busy intersection, Cobb County District Attorney spokeswoman Kimberly Isaza said. She was sentenced to 15 years – 8 in prison and the rest on probation – for the crash that killed the 59-year-old Roswell grandmother.

Sharon Freeman, 59, of Roswell. (Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office)

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According to authorities, Washbourne ran a red light at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Woodlawn Parkway.

She hit three cars including Freeman’s red Toyota Corolla, Isaza said. A Bud Light Straw-ber-rita was found in Washbourne’s car and her blood-alcohol level was 0.174, more than twice the legal limit.

Sharon Freeman's car was totaled in a August 2016 crash that left her dead. (Credit: Cobb County District Attorney's Office)

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Freeman later died at WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

“Ms. Washbourne made life-changing decisions that day when she consumed alcohol and drove her motor vehicle,” Assistant District Attorney Patricia Hall. “The family of Ms. Freeman will never be the same.”

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