A Geneseo woman entered a plea deal in a 2021 case of DUI resulting in a fatality in Rock Island County Court this morning and the court accepted it.

Brittany Griswold, age 37, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated DUI with death. As part of the plea agreement she reached with the court, three other charges, including a second aggravated DUI with death charge, reckless homicide with a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle, will be dropped at sentencing.

According to the terms of the plea deal, Griswold was sentenced to eight years in prison and must serve 85%, or 6.8 years. She must serve a year of probation after her release.

The incident

Griswold was initially accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and unlawful possession of a vehicle, knowing it to be stolen, according to court records. She is accused of driving under the influence just after midnight on August 8, 2021 and striking a vehicle driven by Cecilia Nache of Rock Island in the 2300 block of 78^th Avenue West in Rock Island. Nache, who died in the incident, was a paraeducator at Wilson Middle School in Moline. According to the court during the plea hearing, Griswold’s blood alcohol content at the time of the incident was .174.

Judge Peter Church said Griswold could have faced between three and 14 years in prison if convicted in a trial, along with a $25,000 fine. She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2024.