Driver gets 10 years for fatal DUI accident

Schauf wins revocation hearing three days prior to sentencing

A Kalispell woman who was found guilty of causing a fatal accident on U.S. Highway 93 near Happy Valley in 2006, was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison.

Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler sentenced Stephanie Schauf, 27, to 20 years in the Mon-tana State Women's Prison with 10 suspended for negligent homicide, 10 years all suspended for negligent vehicular assault, and 10 years all suspended for criminal endangerment.

A jury had found Schauf guilty of the three charges on April 2. The sentences will run concurrently.

On July 1, 2006, Schauf's blue Mazda Miata rammed into the rear of a Dodge pickup truck south of Whitefish. Schauf's sports car hit a tree and caught fire, but she wasn't seriously injured, and witnesses later described her combative behavior at the scene.

Brett Adams, of Kalispell, was ejected from the pickup and died later of brain injuries. Christopher Gray, of Bigfork, who was driving the truck, suffered broken bones and a punctured lung. Savannah Hill, a passenger in the truck, had minor injuries and was able to speak to a highway patrolman at the scene.

Schauf, who had recently graduated from the University of Montana's pharmacy school, was working at the Pollo Grill in Whitefish the night of the accident. Blood drawn at Kalispell Regional Medical Center indicated her alcohol level was 0.34 — more than four times the legal limit.

Stadler called the accident a tragedy but said a strong sentence was required. Schauf's attorney, George Best, had asked for probation, but Stadler accepted the prosecution's recommendation.

Schauf took the stand and apologized, asking for leniency. Testifying for the prosecution were members of the Adams family and Hill. Schauf's stepmother and several family friends testified for the defense.

A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, to decide if Schauf should be allowed to stay out of jail pending her appeal.

Schauf ran into problems while on probation last year. On April 2, 2007, deputy attorney Tammi Fisher filed a motion to revoke Schauf's release, claiming Schauf had changed jobs without informing the county attorney's office.

Fisher also claimed Schauf had attended a Fat Tuesday party in Kalispell, where she allegedly drank alcohol and spoke to one of the victims of the accident — Savannah Hill. Schauf later posted a $100,000 bond and was released.

Schauf was re-arrested June 6 after she was reportedly seen drinking alcohol in a Bigfork restaurant. After an investigation by sheriff's deputies, she was taken back into custody, and bail was set at $100,000. She spent three days in the Flathead County jail.

Three days before her sentencing, Best successfully argued that Schauf was not at the Los Caporales bar drinking as alleged but was instead at the Swan River Inn attending a wedding rehearsal. Witnesses who supported Schauf in court on June 17 included four family members and two non-relatives.

Eight more witnesses were ready to testify on Schauf's behalf, and Best presented photographic evidence proving where she was at the time in question.

On the other hand, three witnesses from the Los Caporales bar testified they saw Schauf drinking at the restaurant.

Stadler was apparently convinced by Schauf's case and dismissed the county attorney office's petition to revoke her conditional release.