Kent County Woman in Fatal DUI had no License for 17 Years

Prior to her accident, April Morning Edwards drove around without a driver’s license for 17 years. Yup, you read that right. 17 years. Which is a long time to go without being caught. But the drunk driving accident in late June this year, which injured Edwards and killed her passenger, James Siebold, changed all of that in a hurry.

According to court records, Edwards lost her license due to two consecutive drunk driving arrests in a seven year period. As a result, she then chose to drive without a legal license. Which worked for her for 17 years. But on June 28th, Siebold lost control of her 1997 Pontiac Sunfire and veered off the road, hitting two trees and rolling the vehicle.

Emergency responders transported Edwards to the hospital for treatment of an arm injury she sustained in the crash. But Siebold, the 45-year-old brother of Edwards’ fiance’, was declared dead at the scene.

Kent County Sheriff’s deputies at the scene of the accident later said that Edwards smelled of alcohol, and admitted to having “a lot of drinks” that night. Police say that tests conducted shortly after the accident show that Edwards’ BAC was more than three times the legal limit for drivers in Michigan.  Which means she was “super drunk.”

Edwards accepted a plea bargain in which the prosecution removed one charge, reduced another and also included a reduced sentence recommendation. She is still facing significant charges, however, including operating while intoxicated causing death. Under Michigan law, this is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. However, the prosecution has agreed to recommend that her sentence not exceed 50 months. 

Edwards plead no contest to operating while intoxicated causing death, which is not the same as admitting guilt with a “guilty” plea, but serves the same purpose at sentencing. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 15th in the Kent County District Court.