Knapp pleads not guilty in crash case

SANDPOINT - A Sandpoint woman accused of leaving the scene of a deadly highway crash involving a fallen motorcyclist is pleading not guilty.

Brianna Lucille Knapp's plea sets the stage for a three-day jury trial in 1st District Court in May. She is charged with leaving the scene of a fatality or injury crash, a felony.

Knapp waived her right to a preliminary hearing in Bonner County Magistrate Court earlier this month, essentially agreeing that the state possessed enough evidence to justify a trial in the matter.

Idaho State Police said Kurt P. Henson was riding westbound in a construction zone on Highway 200 when he hit an abrupt lane edge and crashed his Harley-Davidson. Knapp, who was also westbound, then crashed into Henson and his bike, state police said.

Henson, a 47-year-old from Post Falls, died at the scene and his passenger, Kimberly Lenox, 43, also of Post Falls, was injured. Knapp is accused of leaving the scene and abandoning her stricken pickup truck.

Knapp, 28, is not accused of causing or contributing to Henson's death, according to charging papers. She is accused of failing to remain at the scene to provide her driver information or render reasonable assistance, such as calling 911.

The crashes happened on July 24, 2012, west of Clark Fork. At the time, the Idaho Transportation Department was resurfacing the highway and signs were erected to warn motorists that one lane of the highway was higher than the other.

Henson was an off-duty Spokane Police Department motorcycle patrol officer at the time of his death, according to published media accounts.

Knapp is free on her own recognizance while the case is pending.