BF man sentenced for role in fatal crash

BONNERS FERRY — A Bonners Ferry man was sentenced to two to six years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter in connection with a Sept. 30, 2005, accident that killed his sister.

David Weaselhead, 22, faced up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, or both. Visiting District Court Judge Lansing Haynes delivered the sentence Oct. 26.

Prosecutor Jack Douglas told the court he felt that in order to protect the public, a five- to 10-year prison sentence was appropriate.

At sentencing, Weaselhead presented numerous "good character" letters, the testimony of his mother and a counselor from Seattle that he had seen for about 10 months.

The investigation found that a cause of the accident was Weaselhead doing "doughnuts" with his vehicle to show off its power and it flipped when it struck a rock in the road.

Weaselhead's 18-year-old sister, Kasandra, was ejected from the car and died. Douglas told the court this case, though a great tragedy, nonetheless showed why officers must enforce the DUI law and the law against reckless driving. He noted this death was clearly preventable.

The prosecutor and the court gave credit to Weaselhead for taking responsibility for the accident and facing the consequences, as well as for undergoing 10 months of alcohol treatment. The defendant gave a long and emotional statement to the court in which he told of his sorrow and how this had impacted his family and himself.

"You don't often find someone willing to undergo such extensive treatment and that part at least is laudatory," Douglas said.

If Weaselhead had not taken responsibility for the accident and had not completed the treatment, Douglas said he would have asked for up to 15 years in prison.

The defense asked for Weaselhead to be sentenced to a six-month "rider" at Cottonwood, though family members wanted immediate probation. It was computed that Weaselhead had served 392 days in custody.

The prosecutor said this was a case wherein a two- to six-year sentence was justified. He said he still believes in his recommendation of five to 10 years, but felt the sentence was a fair one. He noted the family was happy with the sentence and that justice had probably been done in the case.

"There is no magical formula," Douglas said.