NASHUA – Cindy April, the Milford woman found guilty in January of driving drunk and causing a serious accident in December 2013 in Wilton, has been sentenced to at least four months in jail.

A Hillsborough County Superior Court South judge recently handed down a sentence of one year in Valley Street jail, with eight months suspended for two years after April’s release.

April, 29, formerly of 144 Elm St., Milford, was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, write meaningful letters of apology to the individuals involved in the accident, surrender her license for 18 months and, when she does resume driving, install an interlock device on her vehicle for a minimum of two years.

The sentence stems from the jury’s convicting April on felony-level charges, rather than misdemeanors, on the two counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated.

One count accused April of causing a motor vehicle collision that resulted in serious bodily injury, while the other accused her of driving with excess blood-alcohol concentration.

Mother of three

April, the mother of three children, was the most seriously injured of the seven people involved in the collision on Greenville Road, also known as Route 31, late the afternoon of Dec. 30, 2013.

April’s attorney, public defender Lauren Prusiner, told the jury that her client’s charges should be lowered to misdemeanors because “she was the one who suffered the serious injuries.

“She has been in excruciating pain, had two surgeries; she lost her job, because she can’t stand for very long,” Prusiner said.

Prusiner said April’s injuries include a fractured femur, fractured wrist and a jaw injury for which she may need another surgery.

April acknowledged she “made a terrible mistake” by driving that day, Prusiner said, and doesn’t deny she was driving while intoxicated, “because she was, and she will tell you that.”

But DWI is normally a misdemeanor charge, Prusiner said, and it became a felony only because of the serious injuries that April sustained.

“We’re asking you to decide if it is fair to convict her (of felonies) for injuring herself,” Prusiner said to the jury.

Members deliberated briefly before returning the verdict that sustained the felony charges.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DeanS.