Driver accused of killing 4 teens found competent
BY CHRISTINA HALL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The attorney for a Macomb County woman charged with killing four teenagers while driving drunk March 16 in Roseville said his client is competent to stand trial, according to a competency report.
BY CHRISTINA HALL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The attorney for a Macomb County woman charged with killing four teenagers while driving drunk March 16 in Roseville said his client is competent to stand trial, according to a competency report.
Frances Dingle, 47, is scheduled for a preliminary exam Friday in 39th District Court in Roseville. She is charged with four counts of second-degree murder and four counts of drunken driving causing death.
Her court-appointed attorney, Michael Dennis, said today that he was not surprised at the report about his client’s competency.
Prosecutors plan to call seven to eight witnesses and the defense expects to call four witnesses during the exam before Judge Joseph Boedeker.
Dingle is charged in the deaths of Stephanie Currie, 16, and her three friends: Devon Spurlock, 19; Erica Haudek, 15, and Jordan Michalak, 16. The four teens, all students at Lake Shore Public Schools in St. Clair Shores, died after the van-car crash.
Police said Dingle’s blood-alcohol content was .23%. In Michigan, a motorist can be convicted of drunken driving with a .08% content.