After not showing up for her arraignment this afternoon, Dena Paige Devine’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea over the phone one hour after her scheduled court appearance.
This comes less than a month after the 53-year-old Homestead resident’s manslaughter charges were reduced for hitting and killing Mesa motorcyclist Jordan Piergrossi, 47, in Maricopa one year ago.
Devine is now hardly facing more than mere traffic violations: two counts for DUI and one for reckless driving. If convicted, she faces barely more than a year in the county jail.
Although she and Piergrossi’s family did not attend the arraignment, a former victim of Devine did, hoping to see some justice play out.
Sherry Allison said she was assaulted by Devine at a Maricopa bar in 2020 and felt like she was reliving the ensuing trauma all over again. Devine initially faced aggravated assault charges in that case, but it was dismissed the following year.
“She pushed me through the patio door into the restaurant,” Allison said. “[I had a] broken tailbone, ruptured disks and bruises.”
Allison said she was disappointed Devine declined to show up for her arraignment and added that it appeared she was “getting special treatment.”
“It’s so frustrating,” she said. “Maybe if they had taken my case more serious, she would not have been able to consume alcohol and drugs and this case wouldn’t have happened.”
As part of the plea, Maricopa Municipal Judge Stephen McCarville ordered Devine not to leave the state and not to consume alcohol, marijuana or any THC-infused product. She had admitted to consuming cannabis edibles and four beers before she got behind the wheel Jan. 20, 2024.
Allison had her doubts that Devine would use the time to sober up.
Devine “always has that weed pen on her,” Allison said.
Devine has a pre-trial conference scheduled for Feb. 25 at 1:45 p.m.
“How do you spend all day drinking at a friend’s house, watching football and doing drugs, then drive home and kill someone…and there are no murder or manslaughter charges?” Allison asked. “You even admit to the officer when you get out of your car that you’ve been drinking [and] doing drugs? You or I would be locked up for many years.
“Dena gets to go home. And her case magically gets dropped in Florence. What a surprise. And now here she is facing reckless driving. I feel so sorry for this family. What a slap in the face. Honestly.”
This post Dena Devine pleaded not guilty. Time to get sober, says judge appeared first on InMaricopa.