This Caldwell woman was driving drunk — while breastfeeding. A judge just sentenced her
A Caldwell mother will spend at least the next 10 years in prison after she crashed into several cars while driving intoxicated — and breastfeeding — with her children in the vehicle, according to the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office.
Third District Judge Gene Petty sentenced Ryann Holland to 25 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years, officials said in a Wednesday news release. Holland was arrested by the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office in December after she was involved in an accident with three vehicles at the intersection of Orchard Avenue and North Fitzwilliam Street that “seriously injured” an adult and four minors, the release said.
Petty also revoked Holland’s driver’s license for five years after her release from prison, the release said. And he ordered her to pay $1,800 in court fines.
“The sheer recklessness shown by the defendant in this case warrants the lengthy sentence that Judge Petty handed down,” Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor said in the release. “Her complete lack of regard for her children’s safety and the other drivers is almost beyond belief. I’m hopeful she uses her time in prison to think about the mistakes that she made and get the help she needs.”
Holland had a blood alcohol content of 0.271, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08, and was breastfeeding her 6-month-old baby when the crash occurred. Holland’s 2-year-old child was in the backseat of the vehicle, according to the release.
Before the crash, the prosecutor’s office said Holland was seen on traffic cameras “driving erratically” through Nampa, where she hit another vehicle.
Holland was charged with injury to a child, leaving the scene of the accident and six counts of aggravated driving under the influence — for each person that authorities said was a victim of her actions, according to an amended complaint obtained by the Idaho Statesman. Her charges were pleaded down to five DUIs, with the other felonies and a pair of misdemeanors dropped, court records showed.
“One of the most important responsibilities as a parent is to protect your children from danger. It’s also a responsibility that we in the law enforcement profession take very seriously,” Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said in the release. “This defendant clearly failed to do that by purposely putting her children and others in harm’s way.”
