Sheriff's deputy accused of texting and driving in crash that killed 80-year-old: Reports
A sheriff's deputy in Idaho has been charged for being involved in a deadly crash that investigators say was caused by the officer texting while driving.
Stephanie Grisham, a 38-year-old deputy for the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office with nine years of patrol service, was charged on July 23 with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, Idaho court records show.
Grisham, who was driving a Bingham County Sheriff’s Office black Ford Explorer patrol SUV, is accused of killing 80-year-old, Robert Beal, in a two-vehicle collision on Feb. 1, according to a probable cause affidavit from Idaho State Police obtained by East Idaho News.
Dennis P. Wilkinson, Grisham's defense attorney, told USA TODAY he had "no comment on the case at this time." The attorney did say they have filed a notice of appearance and not-guilty plea on Grisham's behalf.
USA TODAY contacted the Idaho State Police, Bingham County Sheriff's Office and Bingham County Magistrate Court on Monday but has not received a response.
How did the crash happen?
Beal was driving east in a Dodge Ram pickup with his 76-year-old wife riding in the passenger seat when Grisham drove into the oncoming eastbound lane and hit the truck head-on, East Idaho News reported, per the affidavit.
Both vehicles had stopped off the roadway as a result of the crash, the outlet said, citing the affidavit. All occupants were confined inside their vehicles until emergency responders extracted them.
Beal was pronounced dead at the scene due to injuries he suffered from the crash, while his wife was taken to a hospital in serious condition. Grisham was also taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
'I'm such an idiot'
An Idaho State Police detective reviewed Grisham's dashcam footage and compared it to the text message thread on the deputy's cell phone, East Idaho News said, per the affidavit. The detective noticed there was text message activity on the phone at the time of the crash, the outlet added.
The dash cam footage also showed Grisham's patrol car veer to the left and go into the oncoming lane of traffic.
The detective also interviewed a Firth Fire Captain who responded to the crash. The captain told the detective that Grisham said, "I screwed up. I was on my phone texting. I'm such an idiot," according to the affidavit, the East Idaho News reported.