Hearing set in felony DUI case

SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing is pending for a Sagle man accused of causing a rollover crash in which a passenger was thrown from a sport utility vehicle and then was pinned by it.

James Michael Keeley is charged with aggravated driving under the influence in connection with the April 15, 2018, crash in the 800 block of Dufort Road in Sagle.

An Idaho State Police affidavit alleges Keeley was driving westbound at a high rate of speed when he took his eyes off the road. The Ford Explorer Keeley was driving went into a roadside ditch and began turning broadside before rolling. A backseat passenger was ejected from the SUV, which flipped back onto the roadway and ended up pinning the man.

The passenger was evacuated from the scene by a Life Flight Network air ambulance and Keeley was taken to Bonner General Health for treatment.

The passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, including a lacerated liver, rib fractures, a pulmonary contusion, a lung infection and a spleen injury, according to court documents. Keeley’s injuries were not specified in court records.

Keeley, 25, is free on a $10,000 surety bond.

Keeley is being prosecuted at the felony level because the crash inflicted great bodily harm on his passenger, according to the criminal complaint.

Broken beer bottles and a jar of marijuana were found in the debris field, according to court documents. A blood draw showed the presence of marijuana in his system and his alcohol level was at 0.11, well over the legal limit of 0.08, court records indicate.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for today.

If convicted, Keeley faces up to 15 years in prison, according to Idaho Code.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.