
NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Woman who was driving while impaired in 2020 pled guilty to felony death by vehicle last week in New Hanover County Court.
Amber Schiavone, 51, also pled guilty to felony serious injury by vehicle and driving while impaired. She was sentenced Aug. 15 by Judge Frank Jones to 60 to 84 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, followed by five years of supervised probation upon her release.
On Nov. 10, 2020, around 10 p.m., Schiavone was driving a Chevy Tahoe on Sanders Road when she crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Dodge Caravan. The driver of the caravan died shortly after the crash. Two other occupants in the car sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation was led by North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Lee, who was able to obtain video footage of the defendant working at the Exxon on U.S. 421 near Cathay Road, before the accident.
According to the footage and press release, Schiavone appeared to be impaired less than an hour before she left work. During an interview with law enforcement, she admitted to smoking methamphetamine. A blood analysis confirmed its presence in her system.
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