Madelyn Howard will plead guilty to two felony counts in the 2022 hit-and-run death of Indiana University student Nate Stratton.
Howard, 24, agreed on Tuesday to plead guilty to the charges of leaving the scene of an accident, a level 3 felony, and causing death while operating a vehicle intoxicated, a level 4 felony.
Her sentencing is scheduled for May 6.
Around 1:50 a.m. on Sept. 18, 2022, witnesses saw Howard drive into the bike lane at the intersection of Walnut and 12th Street in Bloomington, striking 20-year-old Stratton.
Stratton was riding an electric scooter. Security camera footage shows Stratton trying to move out of the way of the car before he was struck. Stratton later died as a result of his injuries.
Read more: Court documents detail tragic scooter death
Howard and a male passenger were found at the intersection of East 19th Street and North Lincoln Street. They were dragging the e-scooter under their car, and nearby individuals helped Howard remove the scooter prior to police arriving.
Howard’s blood alcohol tests registered three times higher than the legal limit, according to court documents.
Brad Stratton, Nate Stratton’s father, said this case will send a message to the community.
“We don't want this to happen to anybody else,” he said. “The only way this doesn't happen to anybody else is if people realize how they're gonna get punished and held accountable for this.”
Stratton’s parents have a pending wrongful death lawsuit against Howard and the bar she was driving from, Kilroy’s Sports. Indiana law says the bar may be liable for Howard’s drunk driving. Howard was employed at Sports and was leaving the bar at the time of the crash. Stratton’s family is seeking compensation for medical, funeral and burial expenses.
“We grieve my son every single day,” Brad Stratton said. “Nate comes into our conversations every single day, every single night. We go to sleep thinking about Nate. We wake up thinking about Nate. That's what happens when you lose a child. And that's a life sentence, right? No matter what happens with the sentencing, nothing will replace Nate.”
If given the maximum sentence, Howard could face 16 years in prison.
