Idaho man charged with two counts of vehicular homicide

The man accused of causing a wreck Saturday night that killed two women has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol. Gary Groves, 48, of Nampa, Idaho was driving his 2004 GMC Denali east on state Highway 2 about four miles east of Reardan when his vehicle drifted. Groves over corrected and then collided with a car traveling in the westbound lane, according to court documents. Both Shirley M. Wadkins, 63, of Reardan, and Viola Harrison, 80, of Okanogan, died at the scene of the crash. The driver of their vehicle, Jerry E. Wadkins, 71, of Reardan, was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. As of Monday, Wadkins was in satisfactory condition. According to court documents Groves also was taken to Sacred Heart. Paul Wanzenried, a Washington State Patrol trooper, contacted Groves in the emergency room. According to court documents, Wanzenried asked Groves what happened. Groves replied, “Things got all topsy turvey (sic).” Wanzenried observed that Groves’ speech was slurred, and that his eyes were red. After securing a search warrant, Wanzenried drew blood from Groves, administered a sobriety test and arrested him. Groves was taken to Spokane County Jail. His bond is set at $250,000.