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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 10, 2005 Few charges as investigation into Thatcher-Stevens’ wreck ends Victim’s estate files suit against parents of teen Staff reports Uncooperative witnesses made it impossible for prosecutors to find any adult responsible for providing alcohol to an Ashland teenager who caused a fatal wreck in downtown Medford in February, Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell said Thursday. Six of eight witnesses called before a Jackson County grand jury on April 27 invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to testify on the grounds it could incriminate them, Campbell said. As a result, the grand jury investigation into the Feb. 11 crash involving Kevan Thatcher-Stephens, 17, yielded little information about the source of the alcohol consumed by the teen in the hours before he sped through downtown Medford and slammed into a Shady Cove man’s Chevy Blazer, Campbell said. The Blazer’s driver, Charles Bench, 26, and Thatcher-Stephens both died from injuries sustained in the crash. Eight witnesses, including several teens, took the stand during the grand jury hearing in Medford. Campbell said six of those witnesses had attorneys who advised their clients to exercise their constitutional right to not testify. The main purpose of the hearing was to determine if any adult played a part in providing alcohol to Thatcher-Stephens the night of the crash, Campbell said. The grand jury heard testimony that indicated Thatcher-Stephens’ blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash was at least .13 percent. The limit is .08 percent for people of legal drinking age. Evidence gathered during the grand jury hearing and by police working the case has resulted in charges against Ian Graham-Collier, 17, of Ashland, Thatcher- Stephens’ passenger, and a 17-year-old Ashland girl, Campbell said. The girl will be charged in Jackson County Juvenile Court with furnishing alcohol to minors, but Campbell said it was not proven that the liquor made it into Thatcher-Stephens’ hands. He would not reveal how investigators believe the girl obtained the alcohol. Graham-Collier will be charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol, Campbell said. He was hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in the wreck. While Campbell said he believes any further investigation into the crash would be futile, the possibility remains that new witnesses willing to share information about Thatcher-Stephens’ activities on the evening of Feb. 11 could come forward, which would reopen the investigation. He added that if a source offered new evidence pertinent to the probe but feared self-incrimination, they could be offered immunity from prosecution. Thatcher-Stephens was behind the wheel of the Jeep that sped through Medford before running a red light and crashing into Bench’s Blazer at the intersection of Jackson Street and Riverside Avenue in downtown Medford. Investigators said the Cherokee was traveling about 102 mph when the collision occurred. Bench’s family is seeking $5.5 million from the estate of the teen who they claim caused the crash. The lawsuit alleges that Thatcher-Stephens negligently caused Bench’s death, according to the suit in Jackson County Circuit Court. The suit does not name Thatcher-Stephens’ parents as defendants, only the teen’s estate. Brian said he plans to look at whether there are other people legally responsible for the wreck. Because Thatcher-Stephens did not have enough insurance, Bench’s wife is also suing their own insurance company, Geico, which provided underinsured motorist coverage, Brian said. However, Geico has so far refused to pay, Brian alleges. Filed in March, the suit originally named Geico; an amendment filed Tuesday named Thatcher-Stephens as a defendant. Thatcher-Stephens was insured by Viking, a company for high-risk drivers that only provides minimum coverage, Brian said. The company will likely pay Bench’s widow between $25,000 and $50,000, he said. Thatcher-Stephens’ parents have announced their own intention to sue. James Stephens and Patrice Thatcher served the county and the city of Talent with a tort claim notice last month alleging police officers’ unreasonable pursuit of their son, causing his death. Talent police officer Jeff Price and Jackson County sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett chased the speeding Cherokee before the crash. Grand jurors in April cleared Sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett and Talent officer Jeff Price of any criminal wrongdoing when they pursued Thatcher-Stephens. Puckett remains on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Sheriff Mike Winter said earlier this week. Puckett’s involvement prompted Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston to forward the case to Campbell’s office, to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. 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