Kuhn sentenced for crash

SANDPOINT — Jurisdiction was retained Monday for Laclede man accused of causing a high-speed crash on U.S. Highway 95 while driving drunk.

Under a retained jurisdiction, also known as a rider, John Douglas Kuhn will serve up to nine months in prison before being considered for release onto probation.

“I am awful sorry,” Kuhn said of his misconduct before 1st District Judge Barbara Buchanan imposed the sentence.

Kuhn, 65, was charged with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence in connection with a June 22 collision on the western outskirt of Priest River.

Idaho State Police said Kuhn was westbound when he crashed his Honda Accord into the rear of a Chevrolet Express van containing five people. Everybody in the van was injured, although only two received injuries serious enough to sustain felony DUI charges, according to Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Roger Hanlon.

A Bonner County sheriff’s deputy was actually clocking Kuhn moments before the crash and recorded a pre-impact speed of 96 mph, court documents indicate.

One van occupant was thrown from the wreckage and another suffered a cervical vertebrae fracture, fractured sternum and other injuries, according to court documents.

Kuhn pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated DUI earlier this year.

Hanlon and Chief Public Defender Janet Whitney recommended a prison of up to five years with a rider, although the state sought a five-year driver’s license suspension, while the defense sought a one-year suspension with an ignition interlock device fitted to his vehicle to prevent him from drinking and driving.

The ultimate prognosis of Kiersten Sprick, the 21-year-old Sammamish, Wash., woman who suffered the neck injury remained unclear on Monday.

Sprick did not attend the hearing, but did provide the court with a victim impact statement in which she said was haunted by the prospect of future medical treatments over the course of her lifetime. However, Sprick demonstrated a level of compassion and forgiveness that Hanlon and Buchanan viewed as somewhat remarkable given the circumstances.

“I wish nothing bad upon Mr. Kuhn; mistakes are made by people, including myself, every day and sometimes those mistakes hurt those around us, intentionally or not. I pray that justice is served, mercy is given, and the same peace I have received is given to him as well,” Sprick said in her statement.

Whitney said Kuhn, a cancer survivor, descended into a pit of despair following the death of his wife and son, and turned to alcohol for solace. She said Kuhn has not had alcohol in six months and loses sleep over the suffering his actions caused.

“He is extremely remorseful about his hurting the two victims, deeply ashamed of his behavior and very concerned about their welfare,” said Whitney.

Kuhn had almost no memory of the accident and it’s believed he was blacked out at the time.

“Luckily, no life was lost,” Buchanan noted.

Buchanan said she recognized that Kuhn has taken the incident seriously, but noted that his alcohol abuse has gone untreated for his entire life. She imposed a suspended prison term of up to five years and suspended his license for three.

If Kuhn falters on his rider, he could be ordered to serve the term of imprisonment.