Accused drunken driver to change plea

COEUR d’ALENE — A woman accused of causing a head-on crash while driving drunk is expected to change her plea.

Corina R. Larabee, 37, of Rathdrum, previously pleaded not guilty to aggravated DUI and injury to a child, both felonies, after a crash that occurred earlier this year.

Deputies with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:30 p.m. May 5 to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Meyer Road and Wyoming Avenue.

Larabee was reportedly traveling northbound on Meyer Road with a child in the front passenger seat when she crossed the center line and hit another car.

First responders had to remove the doors of both vehicles to extract the passengers.

The driver of the other car was transported to Kootenai Health via Life Flight with severe injuries, police said.

Larabee, who was not injured in the crash, reportedly provided breath samples of 0.17 and 0.16 — about twice the legal limit.

Police arrested Larabee at the scene. She later posted $50,000 bail.

The conditions of her release included mandatory testing for alcohol and drugs several times a month.

Prosecutors said Larabee tested positive for alcohol in October and had multiple “abnormal” test results between August and September.

First District Judge Cynthia Meyer signed a no-bond warrant for Larabee’s arrest in October.

However, the state and defense later submitted a motion to quash the warrant, on the grounds that the parties involved in the case had attended mediation.

Meyer granted the motion to quash the warrant, rendering it invalid.

Larabee is expected to formally change her plea at a hearing next week.

It is unclear at this time if the charges against Larabee will be amended as part of a plea deal.

Aggravated DUI is punishable by a maximum 15-year sentence, while felony injury to a child is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A jury trial in the case was scheduled for January.