Culver man jailed in DUII crash that killed infant daughter

A 23-year-old Culver man pleaded not guilty Monday to manslaughter, DUII and other charges in a June 30 crash that killed his 9-month-old daughter.

Brandon Christopher Payne was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury last Wednesday on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and DUII. He was arrested two days later and booked into the Jefferson County Jail.

At Monday’s arraignment, where Payne pleaded not guilty to all charges, Circuit Judge George Neilson reduced his initial bail of $100,000 to $50,000 and scheduled a pre-trial conference for July 27 at 8:30 a.m.

OSP said at the time that Payne was heading north in a white 2012 Ford Escape and tried to make a left turn onto state Highway 361, the Culver Highway, turning into the path of a southbound Ford F-750 owned by an area sign company. The driver, Douglas Dean Jr., 41, of Redmond, tried to avoid the SUV but hit it on the passenger side, causing it to overturn onto its side, troopers said.

Payne’s daughter, Hannah Marie-Lynn Payne, died at the scene, despite life-saving efforts, while her father was flown to St. Charles Redmond, then transferred to St. Charles Bend for treatment of his injuries. He was listed in fair condition the next day. The truck driver was unhurt in the crash, OSP said.

Seat belts were being used, OSP troopers said at the time, adding that “alcohol is determined to be a contributing factor” in the crash.