COEUR d’ALENE — Former Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey served time in the Kootenai County jail over the weekend after pleading guilty to careless or inattentive driving related to a 2025 crash at a gas station.

Lindsey, 48, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense in early July as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. 

First District Judge Tristan Poorman sentenced Lindsey to 90 days in jail, the maximum possible sentence. The judge suspended 86 days of the sentence, in accordance with the plea agreement, ordering Lindsey to serve four days of actual jail time. 

Lindsey must spend two years on unsupervised probation, use an interlock device for one year and pay a $300 fine. 

The charge stemmed from Oct. 21, 2025, when prosecutors said Lindsey hit a pole outside a gas station in Osburn at about 5 mph. No one was harmed, prosecutors said. 

After Lindsey made multiple unsuccessful attempts to reverse and straighten her vehicle, prosecutors said gas station employees helped her move the car, which she left at the gas station while another person drove her home. 

Lindsey resigned from her position as Shoshone County sheriff the day after the crash. She was appointed to the office in 2022 after the death of Sheriff Mike Gunderson and served the rest of his term before winning her first election in 2024. 

Prosecutors filed the misdemeanor charge in December 2025. 

“There was public outcry and concern about this case before facts were available,” prosecuting attorney Marsha Larson said during the sentencing hearing. 

Larson said there’s no evidence that Lindsey committed a hit-and-run or drove while impaired, and no restitution is to be made in the case because there is no victim. 

Before receiving her sentence, Lindsey told the court she was struggling with her mental health at the time of the crash. 

“I didn’t take care of myself mentally during that time,” she said. “You go to a critical call and put it in a big box and keep it tight. I did it for a long time and it started pouring out three or four years ago.”

Lindsey said she numbed her feelings with alcohol and kratom. The crash was a kind of wake-up call that forced her to get help. 

“As terrible as this has been, it is the best thing to happen to me,” she said. 

After a 21-year career in law enforcement, Lindsey said she betrayed the public’s trust through her actions and stepped down from her position as sheriff as a result. 

She told the court she has sought counseling for trauma and plans to go back to college and pursue a career as a drug and alcohol counselor for first responders. 

“I am not done serving,” she said. “People are smiling in public but suffering in silence. They shouldn’t have to.” 

Before handing down the sentence, Poorman noted that addiction issues impacted Lindsey’s case, though the underlying charge was inattentive or careless driving. He said Lindsey was drinking the night before the crash and early in the morning. 

“That is concerning,” he said. 

Poorman acknowledged the trauma that impacts many first responders and commended Lindsey for seeking counseling. 

“If you just address the substance use, but not the trauma, you will never fully address the root issue,” he said. 

Lindsey was booked into the Kootenai County jail early Friday morning, according to jail records, and is scheduled for release Tuesday.

Help is available to North Idaho residents who are struggling with substance abuse problems.  

The North Idaho Crisis Center at 2301 Ironwood Place in Coeur d’Alene offers free, confidential help for people who have a drug or alcohol problem or a mental health crisis.  

The center is open 24/7. No referral is necessary. Call 208-625-4884.