Stoner sentenced to ten years for role in fatal crash
Comments (...)Joseph Dean Stoner, the 19-year-old Newton resident who pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the March deaths of teen brothers David and Dakota Stattelman, was sentenced to ten years in prison today in Jasper County District Court.
Judge Brad McCall agreed with the recommendations submitted by the State and Stoner's court appointed attorney John E. Billingsley urging the defendant serve two five-year sentences consecutively. Stoner has also been ordered to pay restitution to the teenagers' parents in the amount of $150,000 for each death.
"Mr. Stoner, you have indicated that you are sorry for what happened. I think that's about the least you can say at this point sir," McCall said at the end of Monday's 1:30 p.m. hearing. "Your attorney says that after you pay your debt to society that you want to return here and be productive and earn a living. You have a huge debt to pay sir. I hope you'll think about that from here on out."
Stoner was denied bond for a presentencing release Tuesday by McCall. He was originally released after his Nov. 28 guilty plea on condition that he would abstain from drug and alcohol use during his probationary period. But a mandatory urinalysis preformed by Stoner's probation officer showed marijuana in the 19-year-old's system, and he was arrested on a warrant at his residence at 608 E. 26th St. S. at 6:14 a.m. Dec. 28. He has been in the Jasper County Jail since the violation.
"It's pretty obvious to me, highlighted by your inability to stay sober while you were on pretrial release awaiting sentencing in this case, that you have a serious substance abuse problem," McCall said. "When you think about it, I think you'll acknowledge that that substance abuse problem is at the heart of this situation that you find yourself in right now. You're going to have a long time to think about it, and I hope you do think hard about those issues."
With the mother and stepfather of David and Dakota present, Stoner gave a short statement or regret regarding the March 17 event.
"I wish I could go back and change what happened that night," Stoner told the court. "It's a real bad thing that happened, and I wish it didn't happen the way it did."
Stoner originally was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide on June 1, after a two-month investigation by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office revealed that he was under the influence of a narcotic pain killer when the vehicle he allegedly was driving struck a utility pole at a high rate of speed in rural Newton killing the 16- and 14-year-old passengers.
A plea agreement was negotiated between Stoner ’s attorney John E. Billingsley and Jasper County Attorney Mike Jacobsen after the defense prepared to present expert testimony contesting the state’s evidence that Stoner was indeed the driver during the March 17 crash.
After the plea was struck, Jacobsen said that Stoner claimed one of the other two boys was driving during the incident, and that he allowed one of the teens to operate the 1990 Chevy pick-up in a reckless manner.
If the case had gone to trial, the defense was prepared to call on a retired state trooper and retired medical examiner to attempt to convince jurors that Stoner was a passenger and not behind the wheel.
Jacobsen said the State would have been ready with an expert witness to testify to the contrary, but also admitted “it would have been a convoluted trial.”
David and Dakota were killed early March 17, after the the vehicle rolled into the south ditch and collided with a utility pole in the 4600 block of South 36th Avenue West at 4:43 a.m. Authorities say the pole collapsed onto the vehicle. Stoner had only minor injuries. Department authorities said that Stoner escaped from the vehicle and made it to a nearby residence to report the crash. He was taken to Skiff Medical Center by Newton ambulance.
The two brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Jasper County Sheriff's Deputy Lt. Brad Shutts said during the initial investigation in March that deputies had to break the windshield and cut door frames to recover the brothers from the depressed pickup cab. Mercy Hospital Air One from Des Moines was dispatched, but was not used in the incident.
Stoner returned to the Jasper County Jail this afternoon and will remain until he is placed in a State correctional facility. McCall also order the defendant to pay restitution to the state in the amount of $3,535.55 for expenses incurred during the investigation including autopsy costs. Stoner will also pay $3,400 for funeral fees for the Stattelman brothers and all court cost pertaining to his case. According to state law, the 19-year-old could appeal the court's ruling within 45 days of today's proceedings.
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