LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A woman who drove under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, killing another driver who was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine, was sentenced to probation, records showed.
Summer Butler, 39, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence for the January 2022 crash, the 8 News Now Investigators reported last year. On April 19, Judge Carli Kierny sentenced Butler to a 28-to-72-month prison sentence and three years of probation. Kierny suspended Butler’s sentence, meaning she would not have to go to prison if she stuck to the terms of her probation.
On Jan. 14, 2022, North Las Vegas police reported the two-car crash near Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive. Police said a car was making a U-Turn in a center lane, causing the front of another car, which Butler was driving, to collide with it. The driver and the passenger in the first car were both ejected from the vehicle, police said.
While a trauma paramedic was attending to Butler’s injuries, “a small baggie containing a white substance fell out of the left side of her bra,” police said. Police confirmed the substance was cocaine.
Nearly two weeks after the crash, blood tests confirmed Butler had cocaine and cannabinoids in her system. The blood draw also found Butler had an alcohol level of .102, which is above the legal limit.
The victim who died in the crash had a blood alcohol level more than three times above the legal limit. The person also had a substantial amount of methamphetamine in their system, police said.
Data from Butler’s car showed she was traveling 70 mph just seconds before the collision, police said. One second before impact, Butler was driving at 73 mph, data from her car showed, according to police. The speed limit in the area is 40 mph.
Under the terms of her probation, Butler cannot consume alcohol or any controlled substances.
