Deborah Wilson, 52, not so long ago was a respectable figure in the community, earning $140,000 a year as executive director of the federally funded Ferndale Housing Commission.
Now, as they say, she's one hot mess, and is likely to head off to prison.
Last fall, she was busted breaking into senior residents' apartments in her own buildings and stealing prescription painkillers, Bill Laitner of the Detroit Free Press reports. She pleaded no contest and got three years probation.
But she apparently couldn't stay out of trouble.
Last month, in the west side of the state, she led police on a high-speed chase at more than 90 m.p.h., the Freep reports. Her 2015 Ford Escape hit the guardrails, a concrete barrier and sign posts, and after eventually, she was boxed in by three Michigan State Police cars.
The Freep reports she finally stopped and said to police: "Where am I?"
(Update) Her attorney Jack Jaffe tells Deadline Detroit that there's human aspect to this case that should be recognized. He says she's truly a good person and an unfortunate set of circumstances led to all of this. He said she had breast cancer and got depressed and she resorted to pain medications and "obviously that was the wrong way to go."
"Now it's really a situation where she's coming to terms that she really has a problem," Jaffe said. "At some point she'll be able to overcome this and live a productive life again"
For now, she has to deal with some issues.
The Freep reports less than a week after Wilson was sentenced to probation on Feb. 26, she violated probation. Her attorney, Jack Jaffe, declined to say what she did to violate probation, but he said that he asked that a hearing on the matter be adjourned so his client could receive in-patient treatment for a drug addiction.
She was to be re-sentenced today on the probation violation, but that hearing was adjourned. The Freep reports she could get up to 15 years in prison for each of the home invasion charges and up to four years for drug possession linked to her stealing medications from homes.
Then there's the crazy driving incident in Kalamazoo County involving the cop chase while under the influence. She pleaded has pleaded no contest to fleeing and alluding in the fourth degree, and operating with high blood alcohol content. Sentencing is set for June.
-- Allan Lengel
