Trial is set in fatal crash case

SANDPOINT — A five-day jury trial is set for a Washington state man accused of causing a deadly head-on crash on U.S. Highway 95 last year.

William David Deardorff is charged with vehicular manslaughter and aggravated driving under the influence. His trial on the two felony charges is scheduled to get under way in 1st District Court on June 8.

If convicted of the manslaughter charge, Deardorff faces up to 15 years in prison.

Idaho State Police said Deardorff was driving southbound in a 1988 Chevrolet pickup truck when he veered into oncoming traffic and crashed into a Jeep Cherokee containing two adults and a child from Sandpoint.

A passenger in the northbound Jeep sport utility vehicle, 44-year-old Kimberlee R. Dingman, was killed. The driver of the SUV, Crystal Bertolucci, 31, was seriously injured. Bertolucci’s 1-year-old daughter was strapped into a car seat and reportedly received injuries which were not life threatening.

The crash happened in Careywood on Dec. 3, 2008.

A state trooper testified at a preliminary hearing in February that the collision occurred entirely within the northbound lane of travel. Deardorff’s blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.12, according to court documents. The legal limit to drive in Idaho is 0.08.

Deardorff, a 53-year-old Spokane resident, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He remains held at the Bonner County Jail with bail set at $300,000.