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Test drives for Swan Boat Club drivers are coming up

Motions have been set for the trial of a Monroe County woman accused of killing two children and injuring 11 by driving her car into a building.

Marshella Chidester, 66, of Newport, had a pretrial hearing Friday before Monroe County District Court Judge Daniel White.

The meeting was adjourned and the motions will be heard on 18 October.

Authorities believe Chidester was drunk in April when she drove her car into a building at the Swan Boat Club in Berlin Township where a child's birthday party was taking place.

Police said 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and her 4-year-old brother Zayn Phillips died in the accident. Their mother Mariah Dodds and another sibling were also among those injured.

The public prosecutor accuses her of two counts of premeditated murder, two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and four counts of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in serious bodily harm.

A district judge ordered bail of $1.5 million. She posted the bail less than a week after the arrest.

If convicted, Chidester faces a life sentence in prison.

In June, a district judge adjourned her case for trial in the county court after hearing testimony that she had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit and had told police she was not allowed to drive.

Chidester is a former commodore of the Swan Boat Club, where the accident occurred. She also lives about 200 yards from the facility, which is located where Swan Creek flows into Lake Erie.

Her attorney, Bill Colovos, said his client believes she suffered a seizure while driving and has no memory of entering the boat club parking lot or anything that happened before the accident. He also said she had been invited to the birthday party by the host.

He also said Chidester had a history of epileptic seizures in her legs that resulted in paralysis, including a recent fall that left her unconscious. She has since been treated for seizures and has not had one since taking medication in 2023 until the accident, Colovos said.

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