Post Falls man charged with vehicular manslaughter

Six months after a deadly head-on collision south of Coeur d’Alene, a Post Falls man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Christopher J. Thompson, 28, was booked into Kootenai County Jail April 26 on a vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from the Oct. 31 crash that killed 19-year-old Joshua Jim, of Plummer.

Jim was northbound on U.S. Highway 95 in a 1998 BMW, according to Idaho State Police, when a southbound 2003 Dodge Ram driven by Thompson crossed the center line and struck Jim’s vehicle near milepost 426.

Jim, a Lakeside High School graduate, was en route to class at North Idaho College before the 6:20 a.m. collision, according to friends.

Thompson’s first words to a responding Idaho State Police trooper were, “There is no way I wasn’t in my lane,” according to a police report.

Thompson threw two empty bottles of pills onto the shoulder of the highway after the collision because he “didn’t want police to think he was driving under the influence.” The pills, identified as anxiety medication Xanax, were found in Thompson’s pocket, the report said.

Thompson told police he had taken two Xanax pills that morning, one at 4:30 and one “near 6:30,” the police report said. A toxicology report indicated he had several medications in his system.

The prosecution is pursuing two possibilities that caused the collision, according to court documents: gross negligence at the wheel and driving under the influence.

Thompson’s bond was initially set at $50,000 but was reduced to $10,000. A preliminary court hearing is scheduled for May 8.