Suspected driver in fatal crash released from jail

A judge released a man on his own recognizance Monday after a deadly crash.

Michael L. Holiman, 70, of Harrison, is charged with vehicular manslaughter, a felony.

The charge stems from Saturday night, when law enforcement responded to a single-vehicle crash in the area of Thompson Lake Road and Harlow Point Road near Harrison.

The driver, identified as Holiman, was transported to Kootenai Health with non-life-threatening injuries, as were two other passengers.

The fourth passenger, 69-year-old Harrison resident Nancy L. Holiman, reportedly died at the scene.

Witnesses said Michael Holiman was driving at the time of the crash.

Holiman allegedly told police he had consumed at least five beers at Oktoberfest in Harrison City Park.

Police obtained a warrant to draw Holiman’s blood and test it to determine his blood alcohol content.

Deputies arrested Holiman for vehicular manslaughter and booked him into jail after his discharge from the hospital.

Judge Ross Pittman ordered Monday that Holiman be released on his own recognizance, citing Holiman’s age and lack of any prior criminal record.

The purpose of bond is to ensure that defendants will appear in court.

Prosecutors had requested that Holiman be held on $50,000 bail and have his driving privileges revoked.

Idaho Criminal Rule 46 directs a court to consider certain factors when making the decision to set bond or release a person on their own recognizance, including the nature of the alleged offense, any prior criminal record, the defendant’s ties to the community where the offense occurred.

Pittman also ordered that Holiman submit to regular drug and alcohol testing and forbade him from driving.

In Idaho, vehicular manslaughter is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison.