A Norman mother convicted in a near‑deadly drunk‑driving crash is set to leave prison after roughly 70 days and move into a GPS monitoring program, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections told News 4. The 2023 collision left 20‑year‑old Micaela Borrego with catastrophic brain injuries and a lengthy hospital stay, her family says. The department has approved the transfer and scheduled her placement on electronic monitoring for this Friday.
In its statement to News 4, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said its Population and Classification Unit approved the transfer on Feb. 11 and set GPS placement for this Friday. Records show 40‑year‑old Sara Polston, who was sentenced in December to eight years in prison, was received into ODOC custody on Dec. 8 and evaluated by a case manager on Dec. 11. The agency said she met eligibility criteria because she had no disqualifying factors and had completed required treatment and community services. Under that administrative process, she will leave an ODOC facility after about 70 days behind bars and continue serving her sentence under supervised GPS monitoring.
The crash and its toll
On Feb. 7, 2023, Polston's SUV slammed into a car driven by 20‑year‑old Micaela Borrego in a residential neighborhood, according to court filings and video. Investigators say the SUV was recorded traveling about 66 mph in a 25 mph zone and that Polston ran multiple stop signs before the impact, The Norman Transcript reported. Borrego suffered a skull fracture and a traumatic brain injury, and her family says the crash has left her with long‑term, life‑altering damage.
Family reaction
Borrego’s relatives say the move to GPS monitoring feels like the sentence is being quietly undone. "She [judge] gave her eight years, and with the stroke of a pen, the DOC was able to unravel that," Krista Borrego told News 4. According to the same report, the family says Micaela was in a coma for two months and still cannot eat, talk or walk on her own. Advocate Jennifer Austin added, "This is not what the law intends: that a victim can almost be killed and 70 days later, they're released."
How the GPS program works
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections describes its GPS surveillance program as a supervised reintegration tool that allows certain inmates to return to the community under continuous electronic monitoring. The agency’s public guidance says eligibility depends on factors such as custody level, time remaining on the sentence, and specific exclusionary criteria. Participants are supervised by Probation and Parole and may be charged a monitoring fee, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The department also says victims and local law enforcement are notified as part of the placement process.
Supporters in Norman say they intend to keep pressure on county officials and ODOC to ensure Polston’s transfer is handled carefully while the Borrego family continues to focus on Micaela’s care and their push for accountability. Polston’s shift to GPS monitoring is scheduled for this Friday, and advocates say they will be watching the transfer and the conditions of her supervision closely in the weeks ahead.
