Remorse seen in hearing on Strip fatality

Kim Smith

Friday, July 27, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

A highly emotional Juanita Kim McDonald was sentenced to four to 20 years in prison Thursday for striking five pedestrians on the Strip with her car last year while driving under the influence of drugs. One of them died.

"I just want to express my remorse for the fact Mr. Wienkes died and I took him away from his wife and kids," McDonald sobbed.

According to authorities, McDonald drove onto the sidewalk in front of the Aladdin hotel exactly one month to the day after Jessica Williams, 21, was accused of drifting into a freeway median and striking and killing six teenagers.

One of the pedestrians McDonald hit, Mike Wienkes, 36, of Mineral Point, Wis., died May 7, 2000, after spending three weeks in a coma.

Another pedestrian, Alicia Cross, suffered multiple leg fractures and needed surgery to implant a 16-inch rod. Arthur Dewulf, an Army colonel at Fort Benning, Ga., was knocked unconscious in the incident and another man, John Bonham, suffered an injured leg.

None of the victims or Wienkes' widow were present Wednesday when McDonald received her sentence -- which was part of a plea agreement reached by attorneys for both sides last month.

In both the McDonald case and the Williams case, blood tests showed the women -- both exotic dancers -- had drugs in their system.

McDonald's tests showed she had marijuana, methamphetamine and ecstasy in her system and Williams' tests showed she had marijuana and ecstasy in her blood.

Williams was convicted in February of six counts of driving under the influence of a prohibited substance and is serving 18 to 48 years in prison.

McDonald pleaded guilty to two counts of driving under the influence of a prohibited and, or controlled substance.

McDonald said she will spend the rest of her life thinking about the pain she has caused and will do everything she can never to cause such pain again.

She was given credit for 459 days she served while awaiting the disposition of her case.