Powers trial set to start Nov. 9
COEUR d'ALENE — Next month’s trial of a Coeur d’Alene woman who allegedly caused two serious vehicle crashes on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive almost three years ago will proceed as planned, with the exception of two scheduling changes.
Kara Powers, who was 33 at the time of the crashes, pleaded not guilty last year in Kootenai County District Court to felony counts of theft, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and leaving the scene of an accident. During a pre-trial conference in district court Thursday, Powers answered in the affirmative when asked by Judge Lansing Haynes if she was prepared to face a jury of her peers.
Haynes, who was originally scheduled to oversee the trial, also informed Powers that Senior Bonner County Judge Steve Verby would take his place due to Haynes’ large number of jury trials in November. In addition, Haynes said the trial will begin on Nov. 9, since the original trial date of Nov. 8 is election day.
On Jan. 21, 2014, a vehicle driven by Patricia Desmet was struck by a Mercedes SUV allegedly driven by Powers. Powers’ vehicle was reportedly on the wrong side of the road.
A good Samaritan, Coeur d’Alene resident Sheri Bullock, pulled her vehicle over and left her three children inside as she went to check on the drivers involved in the crash. At that point Powers — who according to police reports was wearing a black bathrobe, sweatpants and slippers — allegedly walked to Bullock’s Volvo and got into it.
With Bullock’s three children inside the Volvo, Powers reportedly attempted to drive away. In a previous article on the incident, Bullock told The Press her middle son
kicked open the back door and left the Volvo. Bullock said her 13-year-old son repeatedly hit Powers, making it possible for Bullock to pull her daughter from the vehicle.
Then, according to police investigators, Powers drove the Volvo at a high speed and eventually rear-ended a Dodge pickup on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive near Potlatch Hill. Both vehicles rolled multiple times. William Akin, the driver of the pickup, was seriously injured.
Following the vehicle crashes, detectives allegedly discovered several pills on the floorboard of Powers’ vehicle and, according to a police report, also found prescription pill bottles “labeled for Kara Powers’ consumption.”
In an email to The Press, Powers’ attorney, Jim Siebe, wrote criminal prosecution of the case would “not only be unjust, but a waste of taxpayers’ money as well.” Siebe wrote that Powers was hospitalized in early 2014 for viral meningitis and was also in the process of making arrangements for spinal surgery, which left her sleep-deprived and in considerable pain.
“We believe that the driving was an unconscious act; an episode of sleep driving brought on by the combination factors described above or as the result of a lingering infection,” Siebe wrote.