Driver charged with manslaughter in fatal east Medford crash
Aug. 8—A Medford man will face vehicular homicide charges accusing him of driving his pickup while impaired, leading to a crash that resulted in injuries to himself and one passenger, and the death of another passenger.
Jonathan Craig Robinson, 33, was set to be arraigned Monday afternoon on a grand jury's indictment charging him with two Measure 11 manslaughter charges and one assault charge in the April 10 crash that killed 30-year-old Shawn David Munro and seriously injured a passenger identified as William Crittenon Knoke, according to Jackson County Circuit Court records.
At 1:58 a.m. April 10, Medford police say, Robinson was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado quad cab pickup with Munro and Knoke inside when the truck crashed into a tree near the intersection of Crater Lake Avenue and Roberts Road.
Munro was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news advisory from the police department immediately after the crash. Robinson was life-flighted to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and Knoke needed "critical care" at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center.
A Jackson County grand jury Aug. 3 heard from seven witnesses — including four law enforcement officers with Medford police and one with Jackson County Sheriff's office — before charging Robinson with felony counts of first- and second-degree manslaughter and third-degree assault along with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of intoxicants.
The first-degree manslaughter charge accuses Robinson of causing Munro's death by acting recklessly "under extreme indifference to the value of human life" while the second-degree manslaughter charge only alleges that Robinson caused Munro's death "unlawfully and recklessly."
He also faces a vehicular assault charge alleging he seriously injured Knoke "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life."
The two manslaughter charges include mandatory minimum prison sentences under Oregon's Measure 11 law. If convicted, first-degree manslaughter carries a 10-year prison sentence, second-degree manslaughter carries a six-year, three-month sentence and second-degree assault carries a five-year, 10-month sentence.
He also faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence of intoxicants. The indictment does not specify an alleged intoxicant involved beyond "alcohol and/or controlled substances and/or cannabis."
Robinson was booked in the jail on the charges Saturday. He was held in jail Monday without bail.
Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
