The Idaho Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Canyon County woman suing the Idaho State Police over its investigation of a crash that killed her father.
Jackie Raymond’s father, Barry Johnson, who lived near New Plymouth, was killed in 2011 while turning left into his driveway off State Highway 30. ISP says his Jeep was hit mid-turn by then-Deputy Scott Sloan with the Payette County Sheriff’s Office. Sloan was responding to a 9-1-1 call when he tried to pass Johnson on the left at speeds as high as 115 miles per hour.
Sloan was initially charged with vehicular manslaughter, but the case was dismissed after the prosecutor said there were too many discrepancies to pursue the case. Raymond then sued both ISP and Payette County for wrongful death and tortious interference.
A district court judge dismissed ISP from the lawsuit while allowing the case against Payette County to go forward, and Raymond was awarded $150,000 last year.
In August 2018, Raymond asked the Idaho Supreme Court to bring back her claim that ISP interfered with the crash investigation. Justices ruled last week that Raymond could bring that claim forth, sending the case back to trial court.
In the majority opinion, Justice Richard Bevan writes that it’s reasonable to say Sloan would have been convicted of manslaughter if not for ISP’s alleged misconduct. (KTVB)
