Decision on teen driver postponed

The judge in a case involving the teenage driver in a June crash that killed a 15-year-old boy and seriously injured a teenage girl postponed a decision Wednesday on keeping the case in juvenile court or moving it to adult court.

Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor said she didn’t have enough information to make that determination, although prosecutors recommended that 17-year-old Carson Sheridan be tried as a juvenile.

Sheridan was prepared to plead guilty to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

Court proceedings will reconvene on Aug. 29.

Teens in the Toyota 4Runner that Sheridan was driving the night of the June 9 crash said he had been drinking and providing other teens with the drug Ecstasy. They said he was driving at speeds of about 60 mph on roads with 35 mph speed limits.

Sheridan rolled the SUV near Felts Field, killing West Valley High School student Braydon Jones and seriously injuring Nichole Crawley, 18.

At the time Sheridan asked an officer, “How do you apologize for something like this?” according to court documents.

Officers found a keg near the crash site at Fancher and Rutter roads, as well as at least one Ecstasy pill in the Toyota.

Sheridan has had previous legal problems related to drug charges.

Prosecuting Attorney Kim Concannon said sentencing guidelines for the charges are similar in juvenile and adult court.

As a juvenile Sheridan would face a maximum sentence of remaining incarcerated until age 21. As an adult, the minimum sentence is 41 months in jail. Both consider time served, which for Sheridan is now more than two months.

Sheridan will be 21 in about three years.