A Pontiac woman who prosecutors say blew a red light on Woodward Avenue, killed a motorcyclist and then ran from her SUV is now headed to state prison for a very long time.
Leeann Jean Darling was sentenced Tuesday to a decades-long prison term for the Sept. 1, 2025 collision on Woodward Avenue that killed a motorcyclist and injured his passenger. Darling pleaded no contest to three felony counts tied to the crash and faces a minimum of 200 months, roughly 16 years, and up to 40 years behind bars. Prosecutors say she ran a red light, got out of her GMC Terrain and fled the scene.
Judge Mary Ellen Brennan handed down the sentence in Oakland County Circuit Court, ordering the terms to run concurrently and giving Darling credit for 132 days already served, according to ClickOnDetroit. The court also barred Darling from contacting the victims, and prosecutors said the punishment was boosted under Michigan’s habitual offender provisions. A restitution hearing is set for May 14.
What happened
Just before 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, 2025, 49-year-old Jack Leverne Turnblom of Fenton was riding a 2009 Harley-Davidson FLHX with a 44-year-old passenger when the motorcycle collided with a 2010 GMC Terrain at Woodward Avenue and Perry Street. Neither rider was wearing a helmet. Turnblom was rushed to a nearby hospital and later died, while his passenger was treated and released, according to WNEM.
Investigators identified Darling as a person of interest in the days after the crash, and authorities say she turned herself in on Oct. 1, 2025. She was arraigned on Oct. 4 with a $750,000 cash or surety bond and, at the time, reportedly had an outstanding felony probation violation warrant out of Macomb County tied to a third OWI offense. WHMI reported the sheriff’s account of the case.
Legal implications
Darling pleaded no contest to failing to stop at the scene of an accident when at fault, resulting in death, a 15-year felony, operating with a suspended, denied or revoked license causing death, also a 15-year felony, and operating with a suspended, denied or revoked license causing serious injury, a five-year felony, according to court filings. Prosecutors sought and won an enhancement under Michigan’s habitual offender statute, MCL 769.12, which can increase exposure for repeat felony offenders. See the Michigan Compiled Laws for the statute language and related court details.
How this fits locally
Fatal motorcycle collisions have led to several high-profile prosecutions in Oakland County in recent years, highlighting the dangers on busy corridors like Woodward Avenue. In a separate case, a 2023 crash in downtown Pontiac resulted in a prison term for a driver sentenced in 2024, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit. Local prosecutors say tougher penalties and repeat offender enhancements are intended to send a message to drivers who get behind the wheel without a valid license or flee serious crash scenes.
Under the court’s order, Darling will serve her prison time and is barred from contacting the victims or their families. The case is scheduled to return to court for a restitution hearing on May 14, closing a chapter that started with a late-night crash on Woodward and ended with a decades-long sentence.
