Local Woman Will Spend Up To Five Years In Prison For 2024 Drunk Driving Incident

On Monday, a judge in Leelanau County sentenced Traverse City’s Jessica Perkins to up to five years in prison for a drunk driving incident that occurred in the county last fall. Perkins had previously taken a plea deal in the case in exchange for some of the charges against her being dropped.

Per court records, sentencing for the 42-year-old Perkins calls for a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of five years, with credit for 139 days already served. Perkins has been in local custody since December, when she was arrested in Venice, Florida and extradited to Leelanau County to face charges. Local police issued a warrant for Perkins’ arrest after she failed to appear in court for proceedings in her case.

That case revolves around a September incident, where Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office deputies confronted Perkins in connection to a separate malicious destruction of property complaint. Deputies said Perkins intentionally hit a patrol car with her vehicle, then drove off. In an ensuing chase, the suspect ultimately rolled her car. She was subsequently charged with five felonies.

Perkins pleaded guilty last month to two of those five charges: driving while intoxicated and fleeing a police office. Because of that plea deal, the other three charges against Perkins, including destruction of police property and assaulting a police officer, were dropped.

Beyond the prison sentence, the court has ordered Perkins to pay restitution for her crimes, including $1,508 for the damage she caused to a Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office vehicle; and $3,553 for expenses related to her extradition from Florida back to northern Michigan.