Having pleaded guilty back in January as part of a plea agreement, McLaren Thumb Region and Caro Region CEO Connie Koutouzos was sentenced this past Monday to nine months in prison, with one day of time served, by Huron County Circuit Court Judge Gerald Prill.
Due to this being a third offense, Koutouzos faced the charge as a felony. As part of the deal with prosecutor Tim Rutkowski, Koutouzos pleaded guilty to one count of operating while intoxicated in exchange for the prosecutor recommending her to participate in the Thumb Regional Sobriety Court.
Koutouzos has been accepted to the program, with The Huron Daily Tribune reporting that the judge informed her that she had the option to complete her sentence’s first 30 days on weekends, with the remaining jail time to be held in abeyance if she completes probation as well.
The charge stems from over a year ago, when Huron County Sheriff deputies found her asleep in her car on Sebewaing Road in Sheridan Township. Koutouzos, whose blood alcohol content was 0.08% at the time, had two prior drunk driving convictions, one from 2016 and the other from 2019, from when she was CEO at an Upper Peninsula hospital. On top of that, when she was arrested, her license was invalid due to her past suspensions.
McLaren Thumb Region’s board has refused to comment on the matter since March of last year.
