Culver woman gets two-year prison term in 2024 DUII crash into school bus on Highway 126 in Redmond

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Culver woman who ran a stop sign and crashed into the side of a small school bus in Redmond two years ago has been sentenced to two years in prison on DUII, assault and other charges, followed by a five-year suspension of her driver's license. 

Deschutes County Circuit Judge Alycia Herriott imposed the sentence Monday upon Katrina Dacus, 36, who in February pleaded guilty to 17 of the 26 charges she faced. 

The guilty plea came a month before Dacus was due to go on trial in the March 2024 crash on Highway 126 at SW Helmholtz Way in Redmond. 

Dacus was driving an SUV when authorities said she ran a stop sign and crashed into a Baker High School bus carrying 14 Baker County Future Farmers of America students who were in Redmond for a state convention. 

 Three students were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the crash, which sent the school bus off the highway’s eastbound shoulder and into a ditch. 

Officials said Dacus was driving with a measured blood alcohol level of at least .15, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. 

Dacus, who was conditionally released from jail after her arrest, agreed in her plea petition to serve a two-year prison term, along with a possible “good time” reduction. 

Court records show Dacus was sentenced to a 19-month prison term on one of two DUII third-degree assault charges, which is a Class B felony. The other one brought another 19-month prison sentence, with 14 months to be served concurrently and five months consecutively, for a total prison sentence of 24 months (two years).

Nine fourth-degree assault charges each brought 30-day jail terms, concurrent to the other sentences, as did four charges of recklessly endangering another person and a single count of second-degree criminal mischief. The judge suspended imposition of a 48-hour jail term on the DUII charge.

After her release, Dacus faces three years of post-prison supervision. She is ordered not to use or possess alcohol or frequent places where it’s the chief item for sale, as well as submit to an evaluation for alcohol abuse and complete recommended treatment.

Dacus also is to have no contact with the victims in the crash. The issue of restitution is left open for 90 days.