Nearly six months after Lincoln’s City Council chairwoman crashed her car into a parked vehicle in west Lincoln while driving under the influence, a Lancaster County judge sentenced her to a week of house arrest for the crime.
Tammy Ward will also pay $550 in fines and court costs and have an interlock installed on her car for the next six months, Judge Thomas Zimmerman ruled at a Friday sentencing hearing.
Making her first public comment on the June crash — which hospitalized the 64-year-old with lower-leg injuries that briefly left her wheelchair-bound — Ward told the judge she had no recollection of the incident, which she contended was the result of a seizure.
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Still, the councilwoman was remorseful at her sentencing hearing.
“I regret it,†Ward said, in part. “And I’m really grateful no one else was hurt. And I’m grateful I was able to recover.â€
Ward in October pleaded guilty to first-offense DUI as a part of a deal that saw prosecutors dismiss a negligent driving charge.
The charges stemmed from the night of June 21, when Ward crashed her 2009 Toyota Corolla into a parked Chevrolet Blazer and a tree along Surfside Drive, about a block from her home near Capitol Beach, according to police.
Nearly a block after making contact with the parked car, Ward’s Toyota left the roadway, striking a mailbox and continuing east before colliding with the tree, according to a crash report.
Police said officers who responded discovered evidence of alcohol use and conducted a blood draw. Ward’s blood-alcohol content was 0.114%.
In the crash report, police say Ward told investigators she had two glasses of wine at dinner that night and said she is prone to seizures. Investigators said she was under the influence and “ill†when she crashed.
Ward on Friday told Zimmerman that she suffers from a seizure condition, which her attorney, Vince Powers, said undoubtedly played a role in the crash.
“The video shows her going — the vehicle going at a pretty decent rate of speed,†Powers said, pointing to Ward’s acceleration to support the theory that she had suffered a seizure in the moments before the crash. “We all can kind of anecdotally assume the only people who speed up under the influence of alcohol are males under 30.â€
Powers asked the judge for a direct sentence, rather than probation.
Zimmerman said he considered Ward’s medical condition in his sentencing decision.
What he did not consider, he said, is Ward’s role on the City Council.
“This court is aware that Ms. Ward is a public figure, and, whether you had concern for that or not, Ms. Ward, that doesn’t gain you anything in the eyes of the court,†he said. “You are — in my order today, I intend to address the issues ... based upon the facts of the law.â€
Deputy County Attorney James Morris said the body-worn camera footage stemming from LPD’s response to the crash showed that Ward never tried to use her status as a councilwoman to escape accountability.
“That said, it was a very serious collision,†he said. “Ms. Ward suffered serious injuries. Frankly, this very easily could have been a fatality.â€
Before he sentenced Ward for an accident he described as “regrettable,†Zimmerman said he based his ruling off judgments he’s issued in similar cases.
Then, the judge sentenced Ward to a week of house arrest, to begin Jan. 10.
First elected to the council in 2019, Ward represents District 4, which includes northwest Lincoln. The seat is up for reelection next year.
Ward, a Democrat, is a consultant with her own business, offering services in the areas of advocacy, governmental affairs and community outreach to a variety of clients representing seniors and veterans.