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A Utah man who drove drunk the wrong way on Interstate 5 and crashed into another car in November 2005, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Friday.
Christopher S. Kearns, 38, was convicted Dec. 1 by Douglas County Circuit Judge Ronald Poole of second-degree assault, third-degree assault, driving under the influence of an intoxicant and reckless driving.
Kearns' Acura Legend slammed into a Chevrolet Impala the night of Nov. 10, 2005 on I-5 near Yoncalla when Kearns drove north in the southbound lanes.
The driver of the other car, Sharon Blakely of Roseburg, 52 at the time, and her mother, Sidney Bradley, who was 72, were treated and released from the hospital after the crash. However, Deputy District Attorney David Hopkins said the pair continue to feel the effects of their injuries.
At the time, police reported that Kearns had a blood alcohol content of .32, four times Oregon's .08 legal limit. Hopkins said Kearns had left a hospital in Nevada that morning where he'd been given morphine. Kearns then started drinking.
"By 8 o'clock that night, it was just horrible," Hopkins said.
Kearns' driver's license has been revoked for life because this was his third DUII conviction, according to Hopkins.
Kearns had originally been charged with two counts of second-degree assault. Defense attorney Jeff Greenwood said his client decided to stand trial because they had not seen evidence to show the two women had suffered serious physical injury, one of the requirements for that charge.
At trial, Greenwood said the judge lowered one of the assault charges after finding one of the women's injuries was less extensive.
Greenwood had also argued that Kearns did not show an "extreme indifference to the value of human life," another second-degree assault factor.
"It's such a subjective standard, I guess," Greenwood said.
Greenwood added that his client has shown remorse for his actions.
On Friday, Poole sentenced Kearns to 70 months for the second-degree assault charge and 19 months for the third-degree assault charge. Those sentences will run consecutively for a total of 89 months.
He also received 119 days each for the DUII and reckless driving charges, but those will run concurrently. Kearns will also have 36 months of post-prison supervision and must pay more than $31,000 in restitution and $2000 in fines.
Christopher S. Kearns, 38, was convicted Dec. 1 by Douglas County Circuit Judge Ronald Poole of second-degree assault, third-degree assault, driving under the influence of an intoxicant and reckless driving.
Kearns' Acura Legend slammed into a Chevrolet Impala the night of Nov. 10, 2005 on I-5 near Yoncalla when Kearns drove north in the southbound lanes.
The driver of the other car, Sharon Blakely of Roseburg, 52 at the time, and her mother, Sidney Bradley, who was 72, were treated and released from the hospital after the crash. However, Deputy District Attorney David Hopkins said the pair continue to feel the effects of their injuries.
At the time, police reported that Kearns had a blood alcohol content of .32, four times Oregon's .08 legal limit. Hopkins said Kearns had left a hospital in Nevada that morning where he'd been given morphine. Kearns then started drinking.
"By 8 o'clock that night, it was just horrible," Hopkins said.
Kearns' driver's license has been revoked for life because this was his third DUII conviction, according to Hopkins.
Kearns had originally been charged with two counts of second-degree assault. Defense attorney Jeff Greenwood said his client decided to stand trial because they had not seen evidence to show the two women had suffered serious physical injury, one of the requirements for that charge.
At trial, Greenwood said the judge lowered one of the assault charges after finding one of the women's injuries was less extensive.
Greenwood had also argued that Kearns did not show an "extreme indifference to the value of human life," another second-degree assault factor.
"It's such a subjective standard, I guess," Greenwood said.
Greenwood added that his client has shown remorse for his actions.
On Friday, Poole sentenced Kearns to 70 months for the second-degree assault charge and 19 months for the third-degree assault charge. Those sentences will run consecutively for a total of 89 months.
He also received 119 days each for the DUII and reckless driving charges, but those will run concurrently. Kearns will also have 36 months of post-prison supervision and must pay more than $31,000 in restitution and $2000 in fines.
