Holmes Beach resident Cierra Shannon, 28, has filed to appeal a four-year prison sentence for her involvement in a lethal Feb. 10, 2021, hit-and-run traffic collision July 7 to the state’s 2nd District Court of Appeal.
In June, 12th Judicial Circuit Judge Lon Arend found Shannon guilty of a first-degree felony for leaving the scene of the collision, which resulted in the death of 83-year-old Madelyn Dakin.
Dakin, a Michigan resident vacationing in Holmes Beach with her husband of 67 years, Gerald, was hit while crossing around the 2700 block of Gulf Drive and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
Shannon was identified by witnesses as the driver of the 2006 silver Chevy Trailblazer that hit Dakin, and she turned herself into the Bradenton Police Department the next day.
Shannon initially pleaded not guilty but changed her plea to “no contest” the morning before her trial was set to begin.
Arend sentenced Shannon to serve four years — the mandatory minimum sentence for a first-degree felony conviction — in state prison.
His judgment also revokes Shannon’s driver’s license for 10 years and requires her to complete three years of probation following her release, 120 hours of community service in a trauma center and “appropriate” treatment following a mental evaluation.
Shannon, who was facing up to 30 years in prison, will appeal Arend’s judgment and sentence without her previous legal representation.
Sarasota-based attorney Ronald Filipkowski, who represented Shannon during her trial, filed a motion July 11 to withdraw as counsel.
“The defendant has filed a notice of appeal and wishes to have the office of the public defender appointed to represent her on appeal,” Filipkowski wrote in his motion.
A hearing to discuss Shannon’s appeal had not been scheduled as of July 15, according to the 2nd District Court of Appeal website, onlinedocketsdca.flcourts.org.