UMaine coach to get jury trial Karlsson’s OUI case set April 17

BANGOR – A University of Maine women’s basketball coach on Tuesday was granted a jury trial in a case of alleged drunken driving.

The attorney representing Katherine Karlsson, 37, requested the trial and will present the case to a jury April 17.

Attorney Larry Lunn could not be reached for comment.

Karlsson is associate head coach of the UM women’s basketball team. She had pleaded not guilty Nov. 30.

She did not appear in 3rd District Court on Tuesday.

Karlsson, of Stillwater, was arrested shortly before midnight Nov. 5 as she was driving a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta on Mount Hope Avenue in Bangor.

Head women’s basketball coach Ann McInerney was a passenger in the car.

Stopped by Maine State Police Trooper Christopher Hashey, Karlsson registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.15, almost twice the legal limit.

If convicted, Karlsson faces a mandatory 48-hour jail sentence, a fine of $500 and a 90-day suspension of her license.

University of Maine spokesman Joe Carr said the case has not affected Karlsson’s job status.

“There’s been no change since last fall,” he said Tuesday.

Karlsson was named associate head coach on June 17, 2005, after McInerney took over as Maine’s head coach.

A 1991 UM graduate, Karlsson played three seasons for the Black Bears.