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HOUSTON The jury that found Kelly Jo Ivey guilty of the death of deputy Jesse Valdez last Thursday, on Friday decided on her sentence. They voted to incarcerate her for 60 years. She will not be eligible for parole for at least 30 years.
Last October 29, 2014 the deputy was killed in a head on collision on East Wallisville Road, and the trial for the defendant Kelly Jo Ivey, began Monday, Sep. 7 of this year.
Last Thursday, she was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter in the death if Deputy Jesse Valdez III in the 2014 car crash.
Kelly Jo Ivey, 29, was under the influence of drugs when the sport utility vehicle she was driving collided head-on into the patrol car driven by Deputy Jesse Valdez III is alleged by Harris County Prosecutors. Prosecutors said Ivey was high on crystal meth at the time of the accident. However, defense attorneys say someone else was driving the night of the accident
Jesse Valdez was traveling eastbound when a westbound Ivey’s SUV crossed into the deputy’s lane of traffic and struck his patrol car.
Valdez’s car spun counter-clockwise into a roadside drainage ditch, and Ivey’s SUV spun into the center of the intersection.
Highlands Volunteer Fire Department & EMS cut the 32-year-old deputy from the crushed vehicle and airlifted him to Memorial Hermann Trauma Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
The new HCSO Substation in Highlands was named for Valdez, the 40th Harris County Sheriff’s Office employee to die in the line of duty.
Ivey was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital for treatment. A male passenger in the SUV was treated at the crash site.
Ivey was charged with intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine.
It was not the first time she was accused in a drug-related crime.
Authorities say she was released from Texas prison earlier that month after serving part of a two-year sentence on a previous methamphetamine case.
In March 2014, Ivey pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and agreed to the two-year sentence, according to court records. She was released on parole on Oct. 2.
Ivey also served time behind bars in two theft cases, according to court records.