Woman has had 24 license suspensions

MANSFIELD, N.Y. (WIVB) - A woman has had her license suspended two dozen times.

Recently, Dawn Hess had to a face a judge in Cattaraugus County.

He told her she has too many suspensions, doesn't show up in court and doesn't pay fines. The judge warned her that if she doesn't come back to court, he will make it so that she stays in jail.

News 4 caught up with her at court, in the Town of Mansfield.

When News 4 met up with Dawn Hess, she wasn't happy.

"I didn't kill nobody. I wasn't drunk. I wasn't on drugs," said Dawn Hess.

So no big deal, right? Not in the eyes of the Cattaraugus County Sheriff.

"It is a serious crime," said Timothy Whitcomb, Cattaraugus County Sheriff.

Authorities say Dawn Hess was behind the wheel of a car that smashed into a tree along a road in the Town of Mansfield.

Sheriff's Deputy Clark Parry handled the call the day before Christmas Eve.

"I kind of have a tactic where I don't give people a chance to lie," said Deputy Parry.

Deputy Parry says he was originally told that a male was driving. But later, learned it was Hess,

He confronted her at a residence up the road from the accident.

"She did have a bump on her head. Had some ice on it, minor bleeding," said Deputy Parry.

Why would someone lie about Hess driving the vehicle? Was there something else to this property damage accident on a rural road?

"We like to give people an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Unfortunately, some people choose to not learn from their mistakes," said Sheriff Whitcomb.

According to the State Department of Motor Vehicles, Hess has two license revocations for operating without insurance, and 24 suspensions for failing to pay fines or answer a summons.

They stem from eight separate encounters with law enforcement agencies.

Parry said, "That was a first for me. I've never seen quite that many."

Because of the December accident, Hess is facing more legal headaches. She is charged with speed not reasonable, failing to keep right, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and aggravated unlicensed operation.

That is on top of the revocations and suspensions she already has.

Hess said, "I'm not saying what I did was not wrong. It was wrong, OK. It was wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm going to take care of it. I'm going to pay the fine. But I don't see how I'm such big news."

"She's in hot water with our agency," said Sheriff Whitcomb. "I hope that this is the wake up call that she needed."

Dawn Hess is due back in the Town of Mansfield Court, on February 24th.

She remains out of jail, after making bail.

She asked the judge to give her another chance, and he agreed, but warned her that she must show up.

Is this a case of just ignoring the law, or someone who has had some tough breaks?

Hess told News 4 that she doesn't have any money to pay the tickets, and that she lost her husband and needs to care for her daughter.

She pleaded with the judge to give her a chance to make things right.