Woman pleads guilty

Woman pleads guilty, sentenced in 2021 fatal Knoxville hit-and-run

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Lenoir City woman accused of leaving the scene of a deadly Knoxville crash in September 2021 has pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide.

Jessie Hodge received a sentence of one year on state probation. The case was reset to September 20 where she will ask the court for judicial diversion, and the state will oppose diversion. Judicial diversion is used to give defendants the chance to avoid having the charge listed on their criminal record.

Hodge was indicted in October 2022. The crash took place in the early morning hours of Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, and resulted in the death of motorcyclist Dwight Woods. A crash report stated Hodge hit Woods’ motorcycle from behind, lodging the bike in the front of her car. Hodge allegedly drove away and didn’t call 911.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said at the time Hodge was later located and returned to the scene by deputies. Woods was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.