Man Goes On Trial In Fatality Driver Faces Manslaughter In Crash That Was Undetected For Two Days

A man who was trapped in a car with his dead friend for nearly two days last year is now on trial for his friend’s death.

The trial of 24-year-old Neil C. Sanderson began Monday. He is charged with vehicular manslaughter in the April 13 death of Howard L. Johnson Jr., 20, of Priest River.

Complicating the prosecution’s case is the fact that the wrecked pickup wasn’t discovered until nearly two days after the fatal accident.

By then, Sanderson’s blood alcohol level was not the same as it was when the accident occurred. But Johnson’s blood alcohol level was well over the legal limit when he died, according to an autopsy.

Despite the lack of direct evidence, deputy prosecutor Roger Hanlon is doggedly pursuing a vehicular manslaughter conviction by bringing forth witnesses who saw the two men drinking heavily before the accident.

“The defendant and Howard Johnson were buddies,” Hanlon said. “You could fairly conclude they were drinking buddies.”

Hanlon’s first witness was Maria Johnson, the victim’s sister, who testified that she saw her brother and Sanderson drink beer and rum, and smoke marijuana, the night before the accident.

They started drinking at about 5:30 p.m. at the Johnson residence in Priest River, then went to a sand pit on Hoop Loop Road to smoke marijuana. Then they returned to the house to drink more, Maria Johnson said.

She testified that when they left the house around midnight, she was concerned about them leaving “because of their ability to drive.” Defense attorney Fred Palmer objected to the witness expressing her opinion, and it was stricken from the court record.

She then described the two as staggering and slurring their speech.

After leaving the Johnson residence, Sanderson and Johnson went to a Conoco station in Oldtown, where they purchased more beer, Hanlon said in his opening statements.

Sometime after 1:30 a.m., the two drove north on Highway 57 toward Nordman.

Evidence at the scene showed that the Datsun pickup was going more than 80 mph when the driver lost control on a right hand curve, Hanlon said.

The pickup was partially in the wrong lane for about 200 feet before it swerved right and left the roadway.

It struck a road sign and then collided with a downed tree. The tree ripped the roof off the cab of the pickup, and inflicted fatal head injuries to Johnson, Hanlon said.

“The momentum kept it moving,” Hanlon said, and the pickup crossed the road again, driving partway through a field before disappearing down an embankment near Priest River and landing on its top.

A neighbor heard the commotion and called 911, but the message never made it to the Idaho State Police and no one responded to the accident.

An off-duty Bonner County sheriff’s deputy noticed the skid marks while on a morning newspaper route, but when he stopped all he could find of the pickup was a rearview mirror.

The deputy, Jeff Trombley, didn’t go on duty until the next evening, at which time he learned that Sanderson and Johnson were missing. Trombley led officers and emergency crews back to the scene, and a more thorough search revealed the hidden pickup.

Sanderson was living in Nordman at the time of the accident, but now lives near Napa, Calif.

The trial is expected to take three days.