Accident trial delayed for the fifth time

COEUR d'ALENE — The trial of a Coeur d'Alene woman who allegedly caused two serious vehicle crashes on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive almost three years ago has been delayed until April.

In 2015, Kara Powers pleaded not guilty to felony counts of theft, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and leaving the scene of an accident. A Kootenai County District Court judge approved last month a motion by both Powers' attorney, Jim Siebe and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, to delay the start of the jury trial, previously scheduled to begin Jan. 9.

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh told The Press his office a to the delay proceedings until April 10 because it allows prosecutors more time to schedule an expert witness to appear during the trial in direct response to an expert witness Siebe recently disclosed will be appearing for the defense.

This is the fifth time the jury trial of Powers, who was 33 at the time of the accidents, has been rescheduled.

On Jan. 21, 2014, a vehicle driven by Patricia Desmet was struck by a Mercedes SUV allegedly driven by Powers. Powers’ vehicle was reportedly on the wrong side of the road.

A good Samaritan, Coeur d’Alene resident Sheri Bullock, pulled her vehicle over and left her three children inside as she went to check on the drivers involved in the crash. At that point Powers — who according to police reports was wearing a black bathrobe, sweatpants and slippers — allegedly walked to Bullock’s Volvo and got in.

With Bullock’s three children inside the Volvo, Powers reportedly attempted to drive away. Bullock told The Press her middle son kicked open the back door and left the Volvo.

Bullock said her 13-year-old son repeatedly hit Powers, making it possible for Bullock to pull her daughter from the vehicle. The 13-year-old boy was also able to make it out of the car.

Then, according to police investigators, Powers drove the Volvo at a high speed and eventually rear-ended a Dodge pickup on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive near Potlatch Hill. Both vehicles rolled multiple times. William Akin, the driver of the pickup, was seriously injured.

Following the crashes, detectives allegedly discovered several pills on the floorboard of Powers’ vehicle and, according to a police report, also found prescription pill bottles “labeled for Kara Powers’ consumption.”

In an email to The Press, Siebe wrote criminal prosecution of the case would “not only be unjust, but a waste of taxpayers’ money as well.” Siebe wrote that Powers was hospitalized in early 2014 for viral meningitis and was also in the process of making arrangements for spinal surgery, which left her sleep-deprived and in considerable pain.

“We believe that the driving was an unconscious act; an episode of sleep driving brought on by the combination of factors described above or as the result of a lingering infection,” Siebe wrote.