Driver sentenced in fatal rollover crash

WALLACE - A drunken driver convicted of killing a 19-year-old Wallace High School graduate in a single-vehicle accident nearly two years ago was sentenced to at least one and half years in jail.

First District Court Judge Fred Gibler ordered the first 18 months of Chad Ward's seven year sentence fixed, meaning Ward won't be eligible for parole before then.

Ward sat stoically in front of the judge while awaiting his fate at the Shoshone County Courthouse.

Ward was convicted last Nov. 1 of vehicular manslaughter for driving under the influence for the July 9, 2011, one-car accident in which Ward failed to negotiate a curve on the Coeur d'Alene River Road, causing Ward's Mitsubishi Lancer to flip. The accident resulted in the death of Anthony Legard.

The 23-year-old Ward was facing a maximum sentence of 15 years behind bars, which Shoshone County Prosecutor Keisha Oxendine recommended. The defense requested Gibler retain jurisdiction, which would have allowed the Kellogg-native walk out the courthouse on probation.

"What happened was horrible," Ward told a packed courtroom. "It should never have happened. Seeing Anthony's family is the worst feeling I've ever had.

"Whatever you give me," he said. "I deserve. I'm so sorry, I really am."

Five and half years of the sentence are indeterminate.

The victim's family testified during an impact statement that the 18-year maximum didn't seem justice enough. The family's grief intensified because the perpetrator hasn't shown any remorse.

"(My wife and I) live with the accident everyday. When we go to sleep at night, we see the scene of the accident," the victim's father, Aaron Legard, said.

"Chad said on Facebook his biggest regret was that he didn't get to work the graveyard shift at the Galena Mine, not that he killed someone," Legard added. "We hear of numerous reports of him at parties ... On Halloween three months [after Anthony died], he was dressed as a 'Reno 911' cop with a beer in his hand

"What it comes down to," he said, "is facing up and admitting what happened, but (Ward) hasn't."

The prosecution echoed the family's stance that the driver didn't show remorse, or take responsibility for the fatal night.

Oxendine said Ward didn't even take the time to fill out his pretrial questionnaire, rather he got his girlfriend to do it for him. She added Ward first claimed that he hadn't used alcohol since the day of the accident in July 2011, but later changed his statement to say he had. She said that the only grief Ward seemed to have shown has been for himself after he was convicted.

But Defense Attorney Frederick Loats said he disagreed that his client hasn't been remorseful for his actions, and that Ward didn't have the benefit of growing up in a stable home. Despite that, Ward has been a good father to his child.

Gibler said he believed Ward is remorseful about his mistake. The judge also said his decision was a difficult task, adding that a case with a young victim and a young defendant is one of the most difficult cases a judge can face.

"All of us can sympathize with the statement Mr. Legard made today," Gibler said. "This is a situation where there aren't any winners, just losers."