Warm Springs Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon
March 12, 2012
Alcohol-Involved Motor Vehicle Crash Resulted in Death of Passenger
PORTLAND, OR—Janna Julia Jackson, 20, of Warm Springs, was sentenced to 30 months in prison today by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones for driving under the influence of alcohol and crashing her vehicle, which resulted in the death of a passenger. Judge Jones ordered Jackson to spend six months in a residential alcohol treatment program immediately upon her release from the Bureau of Prisons. On August 3, 2011, Jackson pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
“Driving under the influence of intoxicants is not only a crime, it can have deadly consequences,” stated U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “The tragic loss of life in this case should not have occurred. We express our deepest sympathies to Mr. Estimo’s family.”
On October 10 and 11, 2010, Jackson drank an extensive amount of beer and other alcoholic beverages on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. In the early morning hours of October 11, she and others left the house where they had been drinking. One of Jackson’s friends, who himself was sober, saw that Jackson was drunk and asked Jackson to let him drive, but she refused and insisted that she drive. At approximately 2:45 a.m. on October 11, Jackson, while driving under the influence of alcohol on the reservation, was driving in excess of the speed limit and looking for a CD to listen to music when she lost control of her vehicle and crashed. The vehicle flipped sideways and made nearly two full rolls. Rodney Estimo, who was one of three passengers in the vehicle, was ejected during the crash, and died as a result of traumatic injuries. Estimo was an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
A blood draw taken almost three hours after the crash revealed that Jackson had a blood alcohol content of 0.189 percent, far in excess of the legal limit. Passengers in the vehicle later told the police that Jackson was “driving too crazy.” An Oregon State Police accident reconstruction expert determined that Jackson was driving at least 48 mph in a posted 35 mph zone.
The case was investigated by Warm Springs Police Department, the Oregon State Police, and the FBI’s Office in Bend, Oregon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel prosecuted the case.