Granite City woman receives probation in hit-and-run death

A Granite City woman who pleaded guilty to a fatal hit-and-run accident in 2012 will serve three years of probation.

Gabrielle Parent, 26, of Granite City pleaded guilty in December to failure to report an accident involving a death. She was accused of hitting 50-year-old Shari Watts while driving on Illinois 3 south of Niedringhaus Avenue late on Nov. 30, 2012 and fleeing the scene.

Watts was found dead beside Illinois 3 early the next morning in an industrial area. Parent was arrested shortly thereafter. Madison County State’s Attorney spokeswoman Stephanee Smith said police found no evidence of impairment at the time.

Police said at the time that Watts was in Brooklyn and trying to call friends for a ride home to East Alton, then said she would have to walk home — a 17-mile walk from her location, according to news reports.

Parent had pleaded guilty to the Class 1 felony. The maximum range of sentence would be four to 15 years in prison, but is also eligible for probation. On Monday, Madison County Associate Judge Neil Schroeder sentenced her to 36 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 2,000 hours of community service.

She has been out on $30,000 bail while her case was pending. It was not immediately known if she will retain her driving privileges. Smith said the plea bargain did not include provisions for her driver’s license, so the decision would ultimately be up to the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Granite City woman receives probation in hit-and-run death."