BAY CITY, MI -- The day before her trial was to begin, a 34-year-old Bay City woman accused of drunkenly crashing into another car and injuring its two occupants accepted a plea offer.

Erica L. Strickland (also known by the surname Reid) on Monday, May 15, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Harry P. Gill and pleaded no contest to two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing serious injury. The charge is a five-year felony.

The prosecution did not agree to dismiss any other charges.

In a previous Cobbs hearing, Gill agreed not to send Strickland to prison on her initial sentence. However, the court "reserves the right to utilize all other available sanctions at sentencing," records state.

A Cobbs hearing sees a judge outline the likely sentence a defendant will face if convicted.

By pleading no contest, Strickland did not verbally admit to having committed any crime. Gill had to rely on police reports to enter convictions on the record.

Those reports state that at 8:52 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, police responded to a crash site on North Henry Street near Mosher Street on Bay City's West Side. A white 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix had been heading north on Henry as a blue 2012 Chevrolet Malibu was heading south, according to police reports contained in court files.

The Pontiac, driven by Strickland, crossed the center line and crashed into the Chevrolet, several witnesses told police. The Chevrolet was driven by James Smith, 62, and his 57-year-old wife, Therese Smith, was a passenger.

Police on the scene had Strickland exit her car on the passenger's side, as the driver's side was too badly damaged, court records show. Strickland said she didn't need medical attention, but smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech, and glossy, bloodshot eyes, police wrote in their reports.

"This isn't me. I don't do this," Strickland repeatedly told police, according to their records. Strickland told them she was coming from a bar, but didn't specify which one, how many drinks she may have had, or how long she had been at the bar, court records show.

Strickland refused to submit to a personal Breathalyzer test. Officers arrested her and obtained a search warrant, then took her to McLaren Bay Region hospital for a blood draw. Two samples of her blood were taken at 10:32 p.m., though the results of the draws were not contained in court files.

The Smiths were transported to Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw. They suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, court records state.

Judge Gill is to sentence Strickland at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 19.