Charges increased in Monday DUI death

February 24, 2004

A simple DUI charge against a Bonners Ferry man accused of being intoxicated when he struck and killed a woman checking her mail in Copeland Monday evening has been increased to aggravated DUI, a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison.

According to the Idaho State Police, Virgia Maye Brooks, 53, had stopped her 1989 Ford pickup in the northbound lane of County Road 46 in the Copeland area and was standing outside her vehicle at about 7:44 p.m. February 23 when her truck was hit by a 1996 Ford pickup driven south by William Webster, 58 (right*).

The Webster vehicle then struck Brooks, killing her.

According to Sheriff George Voyles, Maye, a former dispatcher at the sheriffs office from April, 1988, through August, 1992, was outside her truck checking the mail when the collision occurred.

Webster, who was not injured, was charged at the scene with DUI and vehicular manslaughter and taken into custody after failing a field sobriety test. Three hours after the accident, he submitted to a Breathalyzer test, which showed his blood alcohol content at .102 and .098. A driver is considered legally intoxicated with a BAC of .08.

This morning, prosecutor Jack Douglas and deputy prosecutor Denise Woodbury, who was sworn in Monday to fill in for Sara Seaborg, who is on maternity leave, appeared before Judge Justin Julian during a probable cause hearing and argued that the DUI charge should be increased under Idaho law as the collision was fatal and may have been avoided had he not been impaired.

*Webster photo courtesy Boundary County Sheriff and available for use without permission.