Suspect in felony crashes dies before trial begins
COEUR d’ALENE — A woman who faced multiple felony charges from two serious vehicle crashes on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive more than three years ago has died.
Kara Powers, 36, died of natural causes in Phoenix, Ariz. on April 26, according to her attorney, Jim Siebe. Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh told The Press Friday that, during a court hearing on June 5, a district court judge gave prosecutors two weeks to obtain proof of Powers’ death, which will eventually be attached to a motion to dismiss all of the felony charges she was facing.
“That’s certainly not an unusual request for the court to make,” McHugh added.
In 2015, Powers pleaded not guilty to felony counts of theft, aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and leaving the scene of an accident. A jury trial in the case was delayed multiple times.
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 in.
With Bullock’s three children inside the Volvo, Powers reportedly attempted to drive away. 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. The 13-year-old boy was also able to make it out of the car.
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.
A civil lawsuit, filed on behalf of Akin against Powers, is still pending.
Following the 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, Siebe wrote criminal prosecution of the case would “not only be unjust, but a waste of taxpayers’ money as well.” Siebe wrote 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 of factors described above or as the result of a lingering infection,” Siebe wrote.