Man who hit, killed Boise woman while driving under the influence sentenced to prison

A 29-year-old man who pleaded guilty to hitting and killing a woman with his vehicle in Southwest Boise last year has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ada County’s 4th Judicial District Judge James Cawthon sentenced Cole Clucas, of Meridian, to 15 years in prison with five years fixed, meaning he won’t be eligible for parole until at least seven years into his term.

Korena Baker, 54, was walking along West Vallejo Road on Sept. 29, 2022, when she was struck by a car driven by Clucas, who lost control of the vehicle, police said. Clucas was driving up to 20 miles per hour above the 35 miles per hour speed limit, according to a news release from the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office.

According to previous Idaho Statesman reporting, Baker “was thrown into the ground and into a nearby fence.” She was then transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise but died five days later as a result of blunt force injuries, the coroner’s report said.

Clucas registered a blood alcohol content over double the 0.08 legal limit after deputies took him to jail and got a court order for a blood draw, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said they also found an open bottle of vodka in his vehicle and “marijuana paraphernalia,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.

“This was so preventable, so unnecessary. It is the very thing we fear with this kind of offense,” Cawthon said. “What has happened here is the absolute worst-case scenario. There would be no need for justice if it weren’t for the injustice at the inception of this crime.”

Following a plea agreement, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed additional misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and having an open container, according court records.

“This couldn’t have happened to a better person,” her mother, Susan Burns, said at her memorial in February. “It’s just almost impossible to wrap my mind around it still.”