DeGroff gets prison for vehicular manslaughter
Michael James DeGroff, 30, Bonners Ferry, was charged with vehicular manslaughter following a single vehicle accident that injured two and claimed the life of Tina Lynn Carson, 38 on April 30, 2008.
DeGroff was sentenced Nov. 29 by Judge Benjamin Simpson to two years to 15 years in prison, plus a $10,000 fine.
According to court records, DeGroff was driving east on Highway 2 April 30, 2008, when he lost control of his 1995 Saturn at milepost 78.8, ejecting him and passengers Carson and Patrick John. Carson was pronounced dead at the scene, and both DeGroff and John suffered severe injuries. At the scene, DeGroff, who was intoxicated, told an EMT that he was driving, though he later recanted and said in a pre-sentence report that he was not driving.
DeGroff gets prison for vehicular manslaughter
He spent three weeks at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, before learning that a passenger in the vehicle had died.
A jury found him guilty Aug. 26 after a three-day trial.
In recommending the sentence, Boundary County prosecutor Jack Douglas noted his past record, which included DUIs in 2000 and 2008, driving without privileges in 2001 and 2003 and being under the influence in a public place in 2001. Three months after the accident, he was charged again with driving under the influence of alcohol.
During sentencing, DeGroff testified that he has an alcohol problem and was trying to get treatment for it, and he requested local jail time with work release and alcohol counseling, or, if sentenced to prison, that jurisdiction be retained to allow him to complete a six-month rider at Cottonwood with the possibility of parole after completion.
Douglas told the court that Carson’s death was senseless and illustrates why we enforce DUI laws, and argued that DeGroff showed that this wasn’t a situation warranting a rider given his post-accident conduct.
“This is a classic case as to why we have DUI laws,” Douglas said. “As a result of his actions, Tina Carson died and both DeGroff and Patrick John nearly died. DeGroff admitted to being the driver at the scene, now he denies it. He has shown that he still hasn’t taken accountability, getting cited after his conviction for driving again while intoxicated. This sentence is the only way to both protect the public and allow Mr. DeGroff to get the help he admits that he needs.”
He said the prison sentence was necessary to send the appropriate message to DeGroff and to others that driving under the influence is a serious crime, and that if you kill someone doing it, the price for the offender will be substantial.
“Drunk driving is about the same as taking a high-powered rifle, pointing it randomly down the highway and squeezing the trigger hoping not to hit anyone,” he said. “In this case, the victim paid with her life. DeGroff has a chance to change his life now and come out a better man. It’s his choice. But Tina Carson now has no more choice in this world. That was stolen from her.”