Heather Johnson

A Cody woman has been sentenced to prison for drunkenly crashing into a building last year and injuring a person inside.

Heather L. Johnson recently received a four- to six-year sentence on a felony count of property destruction and a misdemeanor count of driving while under the influence of alcohol and controlled substances.

Before Johnson smashed through the wall of Cody’s El Vaquero restaurant in March 2023, authorities said she’d drunk about 32 ounces of vodka — which was reportedly in addition to regular marijuana use and prescriptions for a muscle relaxer and ketamine.

It was the 59-year-old’s third DUI in the past decade and fifth overall, prosecutors have said.

Johnson had been attempting to turn onto Cody’s Big Horn Avenue from Blackburn Street around 8:30 p.m., but went over the curb, across a small lawn and into El Vaquero’s south-facing wall.

While the restaurant was closed at the time, staffers were still in the building and a young man was pinned underneath Johnson’s Dodge when it came through the wall. He had to be freed by first responders and then taken to Cody Regional Health.

According to one of the restaurant’s workers, Johnson tried driving away, but the worker “turned off the truck and took the keys,” Cody police wrote in an affidavit.

In addition to the prison time, District Court Judge Bill Simpson ordered Johnson to pay $41,872.11 in restitution to cover the young man’s medical bills and his personal property that was destroyed in the crash. A revised restitution memo filed with the court on Monday indicates the young man is seeking additional compensation for other damaged items, said Deputy Park County Attorney Larry Eichele.

The prosecutor said it appears the damage to the building was covered by insurance, but if not, he said Johnson could be ordered to pay more restitution.

The sentence was the result of a plea deal, in which prosecutors dismissed a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving and Johnson pleaded guilty to the DUI and no contest to the property destruction.

The county attorney’s office initially charged Johnson with a felony count of aggravated assault — alleging she had caused “serious bodily injury” — but later changed it to property destruction.

A couple hours before the crash, a citizen reported that Johnson was driving drunk, but responding officers didn’t find her at that time. Later on, the citizen told an off-duty officer that Johnson was at a Cody liquor store, but by the time that report reached an on-duty officer, she had already crashed.

Johnson served six days in jail after her arrest before being released on a $15,000 surety bond; her conditions included random daily tests of her blood alcohol content and GPS tracking. She was taken back into custody following her March 14 sentencing in district court.

As of Wednesday, Johnson remained in the Park County Detention Center, awaiting transport to a Wyoming Department of Corrections facility.