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‘Little Women’ Reality Star Gets 16 Years For DUI Crash That Killed Coast Guardsman
'Little Women: Atlanta' Star Melissa Hancock was highly intoxicated when she crashed her car into a vehicle being driven by Daniel Dill, a U.S. Coast Guard techinician who was on his way to pick up his wife and her friends.
Former reality TV star Melissa Hancock will spend the next decade-plus in prison following a DUI that resulted in a fatal car crash in Virginia Beach that claimed the life of a technician in the U.S. Coast Guard, according to reports.
A judge sentenced Hancock, who previously made appearances on the reality show “Little Women: Atlanta,” to 16 years in prison on Wednesday, USA Today reports.
She was arrested on Nov. 4 after officers responded to a 2 a.m. call that reported a crash involving a motorist driving on the wrong side of the road, People Magazine reports.
Hancock, 25, is alleged to have been driving her 2011 Cadillac westbound in an eastbound lane when she struck a 2009 Mazda being operated by 29-year-old Daniel Dill, according to the outlet.
Dill was an officer in the Coast Guard. He was reportedly was on his way to pick up his wife and her friends who were out celebrating his wife’s birthday, The Virginian-Pilot reports.
Dill eventually succumbed to his injuries and died the following day.
Hancock told police that she’d had a few mixed drinks at a nightclub around an hour prior to the collision, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
However, prosecutors claimed that the reality star’s blood alcohol level was between 0.17 percent and 0.19 percent when she crashed her car into Dill's, according to The Virginian-Pilot — much higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Hancock worked as a saleswoman at the insurance firm GEICO, NJ.com reports.
She had only been living in Virginia Beach for a few weeks before the incident, according to court documents obtained by The Virginian-Pilot.
Hancock pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge, as well as to driving the wrong way and failing to obey a highway sign, in relation to the incident, according to the outlet.
Hancock has previously been convicted on charges related to marijuana possession and reckless driving, The Virginian-Pilot reports.
[Photo: Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office]
