Man sentenced for 2022 fatal drunk driving crash that killed passenger

Austin Eric Christensen was sentenced by District Judge Bruce Pickett connected Wednesday. | Kaitlyn Hart, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – A 25-year-old man was sent to a rider Wednesday, much than 2 years aft a 2022 rollover clang that killed his friend.

District Judge Bruce Pickett sentenced Austin Eric Christensen to a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 12 years successful situation for a drunk driving clang that ended pinch nan decease of his rider and friend, 24-year-old Isaac Flores. Pickett past retained jurisdiction, meaning Christensen will complete a one-year rider curen programme successful prison. Once nan programme is over, Pickett will determine whether to nonstop him backmost to situation for his fixed condemnation aliases merchandise him backmost onto probation.

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Christensen’s driver’s licence was suspended for 1 year, and he will beryllium required to put an interlock instrumentality connected his car for 2 years, some aft his rider is completed. He will besides person to salary $1,000 successful tribunal fines and fees.

After initially pleading not guilty, Christensen signed a plea statement successful April, agreeing to plead blameworthy to felony vehicular manslaughter regarding nan decease of Flores, successful return for nan prosecution agreeing to urge a retained jurisdiction astatine sentencing.

Sentencing

During nan sentencing, Christensen’s attorney, Allen Browning, based on his customer should beryllium placed connected a rider owed to support from nan victim’s family and because he lacks immoderate erstwhile criminal history.

“Mr. Christensen, of course, feels horrible for what he did that night. The 2 of them had been drinking. He sewage down nan instrumentality and mislaid power of his car. The car skidded disconnected nan road, ran into a tree, and his champion friend, Isaac Flores, died arsenic a consequence of that,” said Browning. “It’s been highly difficult for him to travel to grips pinch what has happened. To his awesome surprise, Mr. Flores’ family has been very emotionally supportive of him astatine this time.”

RELATED | Man arrested for 2022 rollover clang that caused decease of 24-year-old passenger

Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal besides based on Christensen should beryllium placed connected a rider but pinch an underlying condemnation of 3 to 12 years successful situation owed to nan severity of nan crime and that Flores mislaid his life.

“This is simply a important illustration of really justness is not thing we tin attack categorically. I mean, these are bad facts. We person a precocious BAC (blood intoxicant content), we person a death. The BAC came backmost astatine .204,” said Neal. “We person a family that is grieving nan nonaccomplishment of a child, and yet restoring them successful their consciousness of justness — it has thing to do pinch retribution, it has thing to do pinch immoderate benignant of a terrible reward to make them consciousness for illustration justness had been served.”

Austin Eric Christensen | Bonneville County Jail

Christensen concisely said to nan judge astir Flores, describing him arsenic personification everyone wanted to beryllium friends with.

“Isaac was an astonishing person. He had a affirmative effect connected everybody that he was around. Everybody loved him. Everybody wanted to beryllium his friend,” said Christensen. “He was decidedly a affirmative personnel of nan community, and I deliberation it’s an absolute calamity that truthful galore group are going to miss retired connected that now.”

He continued, taking work for his actions and thanking Flores’ family for their support.

RELATED | Death announcement for Isaac Flores

“I understand that drinking and driving is simply a choice, and it’s a prime that I made that haunts maine each azygous day. He has an astonishing family, they’re immoderate of nan champion group that I person met. Genuinely, they held nary judgement against me,” Christensen said. “They didn’t moreover opportunity that location was a request for an apology, because they weren’t upset astatine me. I’m conscionable happy now to beryllium successful a position wherever I tin fulfill nan organization and move forward.”

Pickett described his reasoning for pursuing nan plea agreement, saying without nan mitigating factors of a blameworthy pleas and nary erstwhile criminal history, Christensen would beryllium serving a situation sentence, not a rider.

“Frankly, I deliberation these are nan hardest cases that I deliberation we woody pinch arsenic a tribunal system. Because successful this case, Mr. Christensen committed a horrible crime. Mr. Flores has passed distant because of your actions and what happened,” said Pickett. “However, you’re not a bad person.”

Pickett past publication nan facts of nan case, depicting nan segment of nan crash, officers uncovering quiet Bud Light bottles successful and adjacent nan truck, and impervious of speeding and icy upwind conditions, each starring to Flores’ death.

“That’s a horrible scene,” said Pickett. “Sadly, Mr. Flores passed away. We’re conscionable fortunate there’s not more. We’re fortunate location were nary kids stepping connected nan road, we’re fortunate location weren’t different drivers that were struck. When we talk astir protection of society, this is precisely what we’re talking about. When I publication done this, absent of nan plea statement and different mitigation factors, you wouldn’t beryllium doing a rider — you’d beryllium doing prison.”

Background

Around 5 a.m. connected Jan. 16, 2022, an Idaho Falls Police serviceman was called to a rollover clang connected Snake River Parkway successful Idaho Falls aft nan driver, Christensen, called 911 saying his rider was injured and unresponsive.

According to tribunal documents, officers recovered a metallic 2008 four-door Toyota Tacoma eastbound of nan parkway successful a writer section and noticed debris from nan motortruck and adjacent trees scattered on nan road.

The beforehand passenger, identified arsenic Flores, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dormant connected nan scene.

Officers reportedly recovered cans of Bud Light connected nan crushed and successful nan truck. After investigation, officers opportunity nan motortruck was going northbound connected Snake River Parkway erstwhile it veered retired of its lane and drove onto nan road’s halfway divider.

The broadside tires went onto nan raised divider and traveled astir 183 feet earlier hitting a tree.

The character past collapsed and landed connected nan beforehand driver’s broadside of nan motortruck supra nan headlight area. The motortruck continued driving different 48 feet earlier returning toward nan northbound lane.

RELATED | Man killed successful Idaho Falls crash

When Christensen turned nan instrumentality to spell backmost successful nan guidance of nan road, nan tires became separated from nan rim, causing nan driver’s broadside wheels to go “gouged into nan roads surface.”

This caused nan motortruck to rotation and deed a “hard, stiff crystal and snowfall mixture.” This effect caused nan motortruck to “leave nan crushed and commencement to rotation successful midair.” While successful nan air, nan motortruck deed different tree, breaking it disconnected astatine crushed level.

The motortruck past landed connected nan rider side, connected apical of a occurrence hydrant that impacted nan rear rider doorway and backmost of nan cab.

The motortruck past went airborne again aft coming disconnected nan occurrence hydrant and continued to roll, yet coming to remainder facing east, 43 feet from nan hydrant. According to constabulary reports, Christensen and Flores had seatbelts connected during nan crash.

On Jan. 17, nan serviceman contacted Christensen who said he and Flores had met astatine a bar, went to 2nd barroom and past to a friend’s house.

Christensen was reportedly taking Flores location from nan friend’s location erstwhile nan rollover happened. Court documents opportunity Christensen was not hurt, different than a fewer scratches and insignificant cuts connected his near hand.

Court records show Christensen was arrested and booked into nan Bonneville County Jail pinch a enslaved of $75,000. He posted bail and was released nan aforesaid day.

Neal, nan prosecutor, said delays successful nan investigation caused a lengthier-than-usual magnitude of clip betwixt nan clang and nan arrest.