A 24-year-old Peck man who pleaded guilty in May to a reduced felony charge of voluntary manslaughter has been sentenced to 15 years in the state penitentiary by 2nd District Judge John Judge.
Chase Chandler was charged in connection with the Sept. 26, 2021, death of 24-year-old Wayne Hodges of Orofino. Chandler had originally been charged with second-degree murder. According to court records, Chandler was accused of striking Hodges in the head with a blunt instrument or club, sufficient enough to cause cranial fractures and death. Hodges’ body was discovered a short distance away from a camper that had burned at an undeveloped campground near Lolo Creek in Idaho County.
During a preliminary hearing in October, witnesses said Chandler went camping in the Lolo Creek area of Idaho County with Hodges and two or three other people. During a wood-cutting outing, Chandler began to act strangely and fled the camp on foot, witnesses said. Chandler reportedly told detectives later that he believed Hodges was going to kill him — possibly because Chandler had been sexually involved with Hodges’ wife. (Lewiston Tribune)
