Smith to serve 16 months for impaired driving causing death
Crown prosecutor Scott Van Alstine sounded satisfied with Monday’s sentence handed to a local man who was drunk and stoned when his car left Somenos Road, killing his female passenger.
Jason Jeffery Smith, 31, will serve 16 months in jail.
He’s also banned from driving for five years, Supreme Court Justice Robert Johnston ruled in Duncan court.
Those penalties follow the June 5, 2008 death of valley female Julie Ann Peterson, who was Smith’s passenger.
She died at the scene when Smith’s Mazda left the road and hit the ditch.
Van Alstine said Smith pleaded guilty in March to impaired driving causing death.
“His blood was analyzed and his blood alcohol reading was over 100 (milligrams per deciliter),” he told the News Leader Pictorial.
Furthermore, a toxicologist reported Smith’s blood contained cocaine.
“He and his passenger were binge-using cocaine,” Van Alstine said.
Smith had a criminal record, and his motor vehicle record was also handed to the judge, he noted.
“I asked for a five-year driving prohibition, and the defence asked for one year.”
Van Alstine’s requested 18-month jail term for Smith was reduced to the 16 months sought by the defense lawyer.
Corrections staff will decide where Smith — now living with various injuries and mobility issues — serves his time, he said.
Authorities will also rule on if and when the accused is eligible for parole, the veteran Crown lawyer noted.
“It’s just very sad and very tragic — a young person has lost her life,” he said.
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