A Vancouver man who was driving under the influence when he killed his friend in a single-car crash in September 2013 on state Highway 14 was sentenced Monday to two years in prison.
Kenneth L. Jones, 31, pleaded guilty in May to vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in connection with the Sept. 29, 2013, incident.
Jones was on the drug Clonazepam when he drove his 1995 Honda Accord off the eastbound section of the highway between Mileposts 7 and 8 in Vancouver, about a mile west of the 164th Avenue exit. The vehicle rolled and landed upside down, killing Daniel D. Alexander, 46, who was a passenger in the vehicle, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Superior Court. Alexander was reportedly not wearing a seat belt.
Clonazepam is a habit-forming drug often used, in combination with other medications, to control certain types of seizures, as well as panic attacks, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Washington State Patrol troopers said they found Jones pinned in the driver’s seat inside the totaled Honda. He showed signs of impairment, including slurred speech, a flushed face and bloodshot, watery eyes, the affidavit said.
A blood test was conducted on Jones at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center to confirm drug use, court records said.
During his sentencing hearing, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said Jones had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel, as a result of the substances he had taken, and crashed. Jones has several misdemeanor driving convictions and had completed a DUI program in Oregon in 2012, he said.
Vu said Alexander also had a number of substances in his system when he died. Still, he said Jones made the choice to drive while under the influence.
Alexander’s son, Joshua, was unable to attend the hearing but wrote a statement to the court. In his statement, he said his father and Jones were not “real” friends. He said Jones sold his father painkillers and that he believes his father would have never abused the medications if he hadn’t met Jones.
Alexander’s father also read a statement, acknowledging that his son struggled with addiction problems. He said he thinks Jones’ recent stint in a rehabilitation program was for show and that he’s never apologized to Alexander’s family.
Jones’ defense attorney, Jack Green, said his client is remorseful for his actions. “Your honor, as you’re aware, this is an extremely sad case,” Green said.
He then explained the defense’s theory for the record.
Green said that on the day of the crash the men had driven somewhere to purchase and use heroin. Alexander apparently became unresponsive. Green said Jones sped off to get help, became confused and ended up on Highway 14, where he lost consciousness and crashed. A drug overdose may have caused Alexander’s death, he argued.
A relative of Alexander’s yelled out from the gallery while the defense presented its theory and stormed out of the courtroom.
Judge Suzan Clark said the information presented to her showed Alexander died of blunt-force trauma and had been hemorrhaging, which indicates he was still alive at the time of the crash. She added that there is no way to know if Alexander would have died from an overdose if Jones hadn’t crashed.
Jones read a letter to the court, apologizing to the Alexander family and his family.
“I’m so sorry for the loss of your son. I’m sorry that my addiction led to this accident,” he said. “I’m sorry for letting my family down.”
Clark acknowledged that there were a lot of “what-ifs” in this case. However, she told Jones that the crash “wouldn’t have happened if not for your drug addiction.”
“You are a danger to our community,” she added.
She agreed to follow the attorneys’ recommendation and sentenced Jones to 24 months in prison on the more serious charge and 364 days on the DUI. He was given credit for 28 days already served. Additionally, 336 days of the DUI sentence were suspended. Jones was sentenced to 60 months of probation.
