Prosecutors recommend Hilton Head woman with 3rd DUI sent to alcohol, drug program
Prosecutors offered a different route for a Hilton Head Island woman convicted of child endangerment and her third offense of driving under the influence.
The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office identified Alison Diana Levi, 43, of Hilton Head as a candidate for its multi-disciplinary court program for nonviolent offenders, spokesperson Jeff Kidd said.
On Monday, Levi was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest and required to join the alcohol and drug program, which offers one-on-one and group counseling, in addition to regular drug testing and hearings in front of a judge.
The program’s goal is to divert nonviolent offenders by addressing underlying problems that lead to crime. It takes 12 to 18 months to complete.
If Levi does not complete the program, she will serve a three-year prison sentence.
“We’re not here to put everybody into jail,” Kidd said.
The program, he said, usually has about 30 people in it, but the number dropped to about 10 people during COVID-19.
That’s small compared to the number of cases the Solicitor’s Office handles. More than 5,000 cases are pending as of March 2021.
Kidd said the agency hopes to expand the program to more people.
Levi’s public defender, Melissa Duque, did not respond to phone or text messages on Tuesday and Friday.
Her client pleaded guilty to five charges: one count of DUI third, one count of child endangerment, one child passenger restraint system violation, one open container of alcohol violation, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.
Court records show she was required to complete community service after her second DUI conviction on Feb. 23, 2018.
