Driver in fatal crash put back on probation

SANDPOINT - A Bonner County man convicted of accidentally killing his fiancee in a rollover crash five years ago is getting another chance at probation.

District Judge Steve Verby agreed Monday to adopt an Idaho Department of Correction recommendation to extend Gregg James Miller's probation another two years, according to court records.

Miller, 32, was convicted of felony vehicular manslaughter in connection with a September 2003 crash on Clagstone Road that killed Tessa Morrison, his intended bride at the time.

The charge was originally prosecuted as an alcohol-related offense, but the complaint was later amended to exclude the drunken-driving allegation.

Miller was ordered to serve three to five years in prison, although jurisdiction was retained, which made him eligible for probation after serving six months.

But Miller's time on probation was anything but uneventful. He was arrested for drunken driving in Kootenai County last year, although his probation officer at the time recommended against imposing the underlying prison sentence because he was a married father of four who remained remorseful for his actions the night Morrison was killed.

Miller's probation was extended another two years earlier this year, but within weeks ran afoul of the law again. He was cited for driving without privileges and arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in separate incidents last March, court documents show.

In June, District Judge Steve Verby retained jurisdiction again, setting the stage for a hearing on Monday to decide whether he should be put back on probation or made to serve his full prison sentence.