A 95-year-old Milford Township woman who ran over a driver after a traffic crash last year in Oakland County has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge.
Phyllis Stafford, an employee of 52-1 District Court in Novi for the past 50 years, entered her plea March 11 to the charge of moving violation causing death for the Oct. 3, 2024 incident that killed Sarah Jane Thexton of Novi. Thexton died after being struck by a car driven by Stafford, following a 3-vehicle crash on South Wixom Road near Grand River Avenue in Wixom.
Stafford faces up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine when she’s sentenced next month.
The case was transferred from 52-1 District Court to 48th District Court Judge Diane D’Agostini, due to Stafford’s employment.
According to police, the 3-vehicle crash happened when Thexton, driving a Honda CR-V, stopped in traffic behind a Ford F350 driven by a Wolverine Lake resident; Stafford, driving a Nissan Versa, failed to stop and struck the Honda CR-V. Thexton then exited her vehicle and was standing near its driver’s door when the Versa accelerated forward, hit the Honda and ran over her. Thexton was trapped under the Versa which stopped a short distance from the crash.
Thexton died from her injuries at an area hospital. Stafford and the Ford F350 driver weren’t injured in the crash, police said.
As reported earlier by The Oakland Press, despite the death the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said the misdemeanor charge was “the only appropriate charge” for Stafford. Jeff Watrick, public information officer for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office, released this statement a few weeks ago:
"The death of Sarah Jane Thexton was a tragedy. The charging decision in this case was not made lightly. Based upon the investigation conducted by the Oakland County Sheriff's Crash Reconstruction Unit, moving violation causing death (a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail) was the only appropriate charge against Phyllis Stafford according to current Michigan law."
Stafford’s no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but will be treated as such when she’s sentenced. Such pleas can also offer some liability protection in civil cases — which Stafford is facing in Oakland County Circuit Court; Thexton’s husband is suing Stafford, court records show. He filed the civil complaint last month.
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