Speeding woman who crashed through home drunk injuring child, sentenced to jail

Judge admonishes woman who drove drunk into girl's bedroom

The judge presiding over the sentencing of Caris Wade, who drove drunk into the bedroom of a home where a 9-year-old was sleeping, gave her jail time and three years of probation.

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Detroit woman who drunkenly crashed through a home injuring a 9-year-old sleeping girl thrown 20 feet and buried under rubble last October, was sentenced Wednesday.

The backstory:

Caris Wade was sentenced to 290 days in Macomb County Jail with credit for 65 days served and three years probation. Wade, 20, was also given three years probation with multiple aftercare programs and community service. 

Judge Joseph Toia called the little girl who suffered severe injuries, including to her spine, "the most innocent victim I've seen in my 11 years."

"How more innocent can you be than being in your bed, in your home, asleep, in dreamworld, not knowing that this could possibly happen to you? This just came out of nowhere," the judge said.

Wade, 20, was speeding and driving while drunk when she crashed into the Center Line home, and into the little girl's bedroom where she and her 22-month-old sister were sleeping. 

She had been charged with reckless driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident that resulted in serious impairment or death.

She fled the scene before being arrested by Warren police - but not before coming back and pretending to be a concerned neighbor to see if the little girl was killed, according to Rachael Wright, the victim's mother.

"You came back not to apologize, not to help, but to pose as a worried neighbor who just heard a loud noise," Wright said. "You wanted to see if you killed my baby – and then you ran away.

"As a mother, there is nothing more terrifying than believing you may have lost your child. That is the reality I faced when I ran into Layla's room, a whole car, where my baby girl's bed was."

The 9-year-old was severely injured, suffering three spine fractures, lacerated liver and broken ribs among her injuries and is left with trauma and emotional distress. 

The girl's father spoke in court pointing out a history of erratic driving from Wade and said her blood alcohol content of .17 at the time of the crash from illegally drinking at a bar beforehand.

"She then chose to get behind the wheel of a car that did not belong to her, and erratically operated a vehicle in a residential neighborhood," he said. "She was going almost three times the legal speed limit and blew through where my daughter was supposed to feel the safest." 

The other side:

Wade spoke before the court offering apologies to the family for her actions. 

"If I could go back, I would never have placed myself behind a vehicle causing a danger to the community," she said. "It really hurts me on a daily basis to know that I was able to cause this type of pain and trauma to somebody else's life because of my poor choices."

Her attorney defended Wade as a good person who made a bad mistake - but Judge Toia pushed back on that notion.

"A mistake is when you walk into the wrong room inside a building," he said. "You knew what you were doing when you got behind that wheel - I don't know what you were thinking. I don't know how this could have possibly happened. It completely destroyed a house, a family and a little girl's life - and future."

Wade was ordered to multiple aftercare programs including substance abuse and community service to share her story as a warning to others, by the judge.

If she were to violate her three year pronations sentence, Judge Toai said she would go to prison for a five year sentence.