Le Mars, Iowa — A Cherokee woman has filed a motion to withdraw her Alford Plea in connection with a 2015 traffic crash.
According to online court records, Melisa Ebert had entered the Alford Plea to multiple felony charges in connection with the crash in which she allegedly crashed her SUV into an oncoming car in order to kill herself and her passenger. 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.
Ebert entered her Alford Plea on December 19th, and was scheduled for a sentencing hearing on the charges earlier this week. That hearing was canceled, however, when Ebert’s attorneys filed a motion to withdraw her Alford Plea and entered a Not Guilty Plea to all charges. Further court appearances have yet to be scheduled.
The charges against Ebert stem from a crash that happened on September 9th, 2015, when an SUV driven by Ebert 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.
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says a technical investigation was initiated at the scene by the Iowa State Patrol, with assistance from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office and LeMars Police Department.
According to officials, the investigation concluded that Ebert knowingly, willfully, and intentionally drove her SUV into the path of Boll’s car.
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.
