Hankey accepts plea agreement, misses sentencing

BONNERS FERRY — Donald Paul Hankey accepted a plea deal on May 21 but failed to appear at sentencing on July 23.

Hankey’s plea deal dropped the persistent violator charge but kept the possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. He was currently on felony probation for similar charges from a 2018 case.

On April 29, Idaho State Police Master Cpl. Dustin Kralik parked in a paved driveway along Highway 95 near milepost 512 when he spotted a white Subaru Legacy driving by with a loud noise caused by a damaged muffler.

According to court records, Kralik stopped the vehicle and approached the vehicle’s passenger side, noticed the steering column’s housing removed, and noticed a visibly nervous Hankey.

Kralik stated the issues with the muffler emitting loud noises, and Hankey apologized; simultaneously, a radar detector began beeping and saying, “ka band.”

“I recognized the ka band was the radio frequency used by the Stalker radar mounted inside my patrol vehicle,” Kralik said.

An identification card was requested from Hankey, who stated he didn’t have any form of identification; Kralik then asked for proof of insurance, with Hankey replying the vehicle was his friend, Walter Miles.

As Hankey looked through the paperwork he had, Kralik noticed an orange bordered card and Hankey obstructing the view of paperwork. Hankey presented a social security card but was then asked to present his Idaho State Department of Corrections identification card, the orange bordered card.

Kralik informed Hankey his IDOC is a government-issued identification card, but Hankey responded, “you definitely would think, but you would have a hared time cashing a check with it.”

Hankey was unable to present any documentation of registration or insurance and asked Kralik if he could call his mom, who he planned to meet up with for lunch; Quickly after, a woman, later identified as Laura Jean Kitchen, approached the vehicle Hankey was in.

Kitchen was asked to wait inside the Bread Basket until Kralik’s stop was done. She then asked what Hankey was being pulled over, and Kralik responded that the stop was due to the muffler.

The Subaru’s registration stated Robin Eby was the actual owner of the vehicle and not the Walter Miles, Hankey stated earlier.

Boundary County Sheriff Deputy Travis Stolley and parole officer Ron Pell arrived on the scene. Hankey then became erratic and grabbed a cellular phone from his vehicle and tossed it in the direction of Kitchen.

Hankey began shouting not to allow law enforcement to confiscate his phone. Stolley was able to grab the phone and discovered a dark-colored scale with a residue between a foil.

The foil was between the cellular phone and the phone case, and the residue was discovered to be heroin after testing confirmed the substance.

The plea agreement Hankey accepted would have required him to serve up to two years in jail. A bench warrant and notice of bond forfeiture were issued on July 23.