Crash probe waits on talk with driver

Tue., Nov. 22, 2005

Thomas Clouse Staff writer

Washington State Patrol detectives can’t finish their investigation into the Nov. 1 crash that killed all five children of a Chewelah family until a Spokane attorney agrees on a time for them to interview his client.

WSP detectives filed a search warrant earlier this month seeking five counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault against 55-year-old Clifford Helm of Deer Park.

Helm was driving a 1999 Ford F-250 pickup north on U.S. Highway 395 when he veered into the median and crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic. Investigators estimated he had 15 to 18 seconds to react before smashing head-on into the southbound 1986 Ford pickup driven by Jeffrey Schrock.

The crash seriously injured Schrock and killed all five of his children: 12-year-old Carmen; 10-year-old Jana; 8-year-old Carinna; 5-year-old Jerryl and 2-year-old Craig.

Helm, who was seriously injured in the crash, has not been charged in the case but has retained Spokane attorney Carl Oreskovich, said WSP Trooper Jeff Sevigney.

“Because of that, we can’t just go talk to” Helm, Sevigney said. “We have to schedule that through the attorney. We can’t force anybody to speak to us.”

Oreskovich is also one of a team of attorneys representing Spokane Mayor Jim West, who is embroiled in a sex scandal and Dec. 6 recall election. Oreskovich is also representing Carole Ann DeLeon, who remains under investigation for homicide by abuse after her foster son died in her care on his seventh birthday in January.

Meanwhile, investigators have completed interviewing all the witnesses to the Nov. 1 crash except one.

“This collision investigation remains a top priority for the Washington State Patrol,” said Capt. Jeff Otis. “We are committed to seeing that a full and comprehensive investigation is completed.”

Sevigney said Helm previously had indicated that he wants to cooperate with the investigation. But after Helm hired Oreskovich, all inquiries had to be made through him.

“We are just anxious to gather all the facts and get everybody’s side of the story,” he said. “The quicker we do that the better.”

Oreskovich did not return two messages left by a reporter at his office on Monday.

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