KINGMAN – A Kingman woman faces more than a decade behind bars after pleading guilty in a deadly traffic accident on Thursday, May 16. Liana Wellington, 35, will be convicted of manslaughter and aggravated driving while impaired.
Authorities said Wellington was speeding and intoxicated when the Nissan Altima she was operating struck a Kia Soul that was turning right on Highway 68 in Golden Valley on Dec. 27, 2023. The driver of the Kia, Warren Hutchinson, 81, was fatally injured.
Deputy Mohave County Attorney Jacob Cote told Judge Doug Camacho that Wellington was speeding at about 96 miles per hour just before the crash. He said the defendant’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was measured at .145, nearly twice the legal limit of .08.
Cote also said methamphetamine, amphetamine and Benadryl was also detected in her bloodstream.
While conceding the alcohol impairment, defense attorney Elana Sears told the court that drug intoxication would have been contested at trial. Sears intimated the defense would have argued that any drugs in her bloodstream would have been administered at the hospital before Wellington’s BAC test.
A 12-year prison term is stipulated in the plea deal. Expedited sentencing is scheduled May 20, as Wellington indicated she is pregnant.
“I just want to get to prison to have my baby,” she said.
Dave Hawkins
