Driver Sentenced To Prison For Hit-And-Run That Killed Durham Women

On March 19, a Michigan man received a prison sentence after pleading no contest to charges that he drove into a group of pedestrians in July of last year, causing two Durham women and a Michigan woman to suffer fatal personal injuries.

According to Mackinac County prosecutors, 28-year-old Sanford, Michigan resident Dustan L. Bowen admitted responsibility for a crash near Gould City on July 25 that resulted in the deaths for 26-year-old Durham resident Jonel Hoogterp, 31-year-old Durham resident Julie Hatch, and 24-year-old Kent City, Michigan resident Sara Dobbrastine. The three women were attending a family reunion.

Bowen was given a prison sentence of between 15 and 22 and a half years after he pleaded no contest to three counts of negligent homicide on February 5. A plea of no contest is not a guilty plea, but is treated the same when sentencing is determined.

According to testimony from a police physician, a sample of Bowen’s blood taken after the crash had traces of a combination of five prescription drugs that could have delayed his reaction time. His attorneys argued that there was no way to determine when he took the medication.

According to friend, Hatch and Hoogterp were deeply committed partners and Dobbrastine was engaged to one of Hoogterp’s relatives.

Hoogterp worked at Sunset Grille in Durham and was a volunteer EMT with the Parkwood Volunteer Fire Department.