Le Mars, Iowa — A trial date has been set for a Cherokee woman who was charged with four felony charges after authorities say she tried to kill herself and her passenger in a September, 2015 crash.
According to Plymouth County authorities, the crash happened on September 9th, 2015, when an SUV driven by Melissa Ebert of Cherokee collided head-on with a car driven by Dustin Boll of LeMars. Ebert and her passenger, Damian Johnson of Cherokee, along with Boll, were transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City with serious injuries.
According to officials, the investigation concluded that Ebert knowingly, willfully, and intentionally drove her SUV into the path of Boll’s car.
Ebert had originally entered an Alford Plea to multiple charges including attempted murder in December. A defendant entering an Alford Plea doesn’t plead guilty to the charges, but admits that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction if the case goes to court. She withdrew her Alford plea and pled not guilty on January 23rd.
Ebert, according to authorities, was charged with 2 counts of Attempt To Commit Murder, Class B felonies, 2 counts of Serious Injury By Motor Vehicle, Class D felonies, and 1 count of 2nd Offense OWI, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Court records indicate she now faces a pretrial conference on March 27th and a trial to start on April 4th.
