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Driver sentenced to 7.5 years for Boone County crash that killed children, grandfather

Posted at 2:32 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 19:29:49-04

FLORENCE, Ky. -- A distracted driver will spend more than seven years in prison for as crash that left two young children and their grandfather dead.

On March 15, 2015, Jessica Hood was driving on Weaver Road in Florence when her car went off the side of the road and hit a group of six pedestrians. Charles Napier and his twin 13-month-old grandchildren were killed. Two others, including a 3-year-old boy, were also injured.

According to prosecutors, Hood said she never saw the group of pedestrians and thought she'd hit a sign. Investigators determined that she had been using her cellphone, and Hood later admitted that she had been attempting to plug in her aux cord at the time of the crash. 

Hood, 25, pleaded guilty last month to three counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault. A judge sentenced her Monday to seven-and-a-half years in prison. Hood will also have to pay a $5,000 fine and serve 500 hours of community service speaking to children about using cellphones while driving.