Redmond man arrested in Hwy. 97 crash that killed woman
A 42-year-old Redmond man was arraigned Monday on second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges in a crash last March on Highway 97 south of Redmond that killed a 19-year-old Redmond woman.
(Update: Clarifying; correcting victim’s first name)
Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby set an Oct. 8 plea hearing for Devin Lee Cooper, who was indicted August 27 on the two Class B felonies in the March 21 crash that killed Sara Ann Edwards.
Oregon State Police said Edwards tried to avoid a car entering the highway from the Desert Terrace Mobile Home Estates, lost control of her southbound silver Honda Pilot and slid sideways into the northbound lanes, colliding in ” T-bone ” fashion with a concrete pumping truck.
Authorities now allege Cooper was the driver of the car that pulled out unsafely and prompted Edwards to lose control.
A month later, OSP still was looking for witnesses or anyone with information regarding the crash, which closed the highway for more than four hours.
A $500,000 arrest warrant was issued Aug. 30 for Cooper who was booked Sunday night into the Deschutes County Jail. Oregon court records show he has no previous criminal history.
Ashby reduced Cooper’s bail from the initial $500,000 to $50,000, though he was ordered to remain in Oregon if he posts bail before his plea hearing, a jail officer said.
