Jessica Warren, the driver who ran over and killed a New Hampshire State Prison guard in 2018 while on a suspended driving license, will not continue to serve time behind bars.
On Wednesday, Presiding Judge Martin Honinberg suspended Warren’s sentence as she stood before him in Merrimack Superior Court with her attorneys. Her original sentence of three-and-a-half to seven years was handed down in 2023.
On Sept. 5, 2018, 41-year-old Sergeant Patrick Bettens was riding his bicycle on North State Street in Concord when Warren struck him with her car.
The impact swept Bettens and his bicycle under Warren’s vehicle, which dragged them for a distance, according to court documents. Witnesses remembered that Warren fled the scene without stopping.
Honigberg said the case has caused pain for everyone involved and expressed hope that the case being resolved would bring some measure of closure.
“What you did was a significant act and had significant consequences, for you, as well as others,” Honinberg said. “I think everyone’s hoping this is a chapter of the book of your life. I hope that the pages going forward are not yet written and are in a positive direction.”
Warren’s sentence was suspended for five years on the condition that she maintain good behavior, including avoiding any misdemeanors, felonies or major motor vehicle violations.
Her driver’s license remains suspended.
Warren appealed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, arguing that the jury in her trial was not provided with the right legal language to determine whether she acted with criminal negligence.
Warren served 751 days in an out-of-state prison because Bettens, the victim, was a New Hampshire prison guard. She was released on bail on July 9.
According to court documents, Warren initially faced charges of vehicular assault and driving with a suspended license, which were later elevated to a felony. She is also reported to have crossed a solid line on the road and followed another vehicle too closely in connection with the fatal crash.