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Woman indicted in crash has court date

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, March 21, 2008

By DONITA NAYLOR

Journal Staff Writer

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Heidi L. Harrall, who was indicted last week by a grand jury in the June 23, 2007, crash that critically injured Sylvia M. Bogusz, is scheduled to be in court Monday to enter a plea on two felony charges and to prove that she has entered an inpatient program for substance-abuse treatment.

Harrall’s lawyer “has represented to the court that she is in some sort of treatment program at Butler Hospital,” Michael Healey, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said Wednesday.

When Harrall’s Audi crossed Route 1 and hit Bogusz, Harrall was in violation of the terms of a suspended sentence on a vandalism charge from South Kingstown in 2006, in which she was accused of driving over lawns and damaging a garage door.

She was also facing a domestic/disorderly charge in North Kingstown for allegedly entering the home of her estranged husband on May 5, 2007, pouring herself a drink and refusing to leave, according to the police. Two days after the crash, Harrall was deemed a bail violator and ordered held without bail.She entered a no-contest plea to the disorderly conduct charge and was given a six-month suspended sentence, six months of probation, ordered to have no contact with her ex-husband and to pay court costs.

On the vandalism charge, she received a one-year suspended sentence and one year of probation. She was ordered to undergo substance-abuse counseling.

To complete her suspended sentence, which expires this July, she has to fulfill the counseling requirement.

She was found in violation of probation for the 2006 vandalism charge because of the disorderly conduct charge and the June crash.

Bail for the charges from the crash was set at $100,000 with surety, for which she posted $10,000 cash.

Early this month, court records show, Phoenix House notified the court that Harrall had not been to outpatient appointments for 30 days.

Last Friday, her lawyer said she had entered a treatment program. Also last Friday, a grand jury indicted her on one count of driving under the influence, serious bodily injury resulting and one count of driving to endanger, personal injury resulting.

She is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Superior Court and to prove in District Court that she is in a substance-abuse program.

Bogusz, who is now 18, is beginning to walk with assistance.

The Westerly Lions and NewportFedwill hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Bogusz from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 10 at the Calabrese Club in Westerly. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children 11 and younger and are available at most NewportFed branches and from Westerly Lions members.

Donations to help her family with expenses can be made payable to Westerly Lions and sent to PO Box 611, Westerly, RI 02891, with a note saying they are for Bogusz.

dnaylor@projo.com