Woman pleads guilty in fatal crash
Jun. 22—Jayne Carr pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter Tuesday in a fatal vehicle accident that occurred last fall in Lewiston's Normal Hill neighborhood.
Carr appeared before 2nd District Judge Jay Gaskill with her defense attorney, Rick Cuddihy, to enter a guilty plea to the charges at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. She faces a minimum of five years in jail, with a maximum of 10 years, a 10-year suspension of her driver's license and restitution costs, which will be determined at sentencing.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 29, which is before Gaskill retires in January. Cuddihy requested the delayed sentencing to allow Carr to serve time in county jail before attending a rider program, where the court will maintain jurisdiction while Carr receives treatment.
The 32-year-old Lewiston woman was charged after a fatal vehicle accident Nov. 2, 2021. Carr was driving a Pontiac G6 sedan west on Ninth Avenue and failed to stop at a stop sign. She struck Linda Dupuis, 60, of Peck, who was driving a Honda Civic north on Eighth Street in Lewiston. The Honda struck a tree, and Carr's vehicle hit an unoccupied Kia Forte, which then pushed into an unoccupied Nissan, both parked along the road, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Dupuis was pronounced dead at the scene and Carr had to be extricated from the vehicle before being taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
According to the probable cause affidavit, an analysis of the airbag control unit in Carr's vehicle showed it was traveling at 96 mph. The speed limit on Ninth Avenue is 25 mph. Lab analysis of Carr's blood taken just after the collision was allegedly positive for methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.
She was booked into Nez Perce County jail Jan. 12 after being released from the hospital.
Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.
