Heidi LaViolette, 42, was in an accident in Sand Lake on Nov. 13, 2008, in which her car hit the side of an unoccupied house. After suffering a broken ankle, fractured rib, and collapsed lung during the accident, she filed an application for no-fault benefits seeking compensation for both medical expenses and lost wages.
LaViolette claimed in her filing to have been the passenger in the crash, but investigators determined that she was in fact the driver. State police arrested her on charges of driving while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of an accident. They loaded charges of insurance fraud and falsifying business records onto the list later.
LaViolette faced 15 years in prison, but when she appeared in court this October, the judge agreed to settle the charges against her by requiring her to attend drug court. She will have to complete six months of residential rehabilitation, followed by 12 to 18 months of drug treatment, which includes random drug testing.
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