Athens women sentenced to prison for DUI crash that injured niece

By Joe Johnson

Izalee Tasha Cooper, 32, of Vine Street, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a car crash last year in which her teenage niece was seriously injured.

She pleaded guilty in Superior Court last week to driving under the influence of a controlled substance and causing serious injury with a motor vehicle .

Judge H. Patrick Haggard gave Cooper a total sentence of 15 years, with the first five to be served in prison and the balance on probation,

The crash occurred in October 2025 on Timothy Road where Cooper failed to negotiate a curve in the road and her Chevrolet Tahoe overturned and struck a tree.

The woman’s niece was a passenger in the front seat and was hospitalized with severe facial injuries,

Blood that was drawn from Cooper at the hospital indicated that she was under the influence of cocaine when her car crashed,