Ashland Daily Tidings :: Online Edition

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2005-03-24

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 - Subscribe  - Contact Us  - Rate Card  - Place an Ad Archives      Revels      Classifieds      Real Estate Guide      Weather      Subscribe      Contact Us March 23, 2005 Kids quiet about wreck night By Sarah Lemon For the Tidings Nearly six weeks after February's crash that killed an intoxicated Ashland teenager and a Shady Cove man, police say they are no closer to pinpointing where the teen consumed alcohol or who supplied it. Potential witnesses are deliberately withholding information in the case, said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran. Detectives have received only anonymous tips after issuing a public plea for assistance last month, he said, adding that it's unusual for an investigation of this nature to yield such a minuscule amount of information. "We haven't had a person really willing to go on the record," Moran said. "I strongly encourage people to do the right thing and step forward." Forensic laboratory reports confirmed Kevan Thatcher-Stephens, 17, was intoxicated the evening of Feb. 11 when his Jeep Cherokee slammed into a Chevrolet Blazer driven by 26-year-old Charles Ashley Bench at the intersection of Jackson Street and Riverside Avenue in Medford. Bench was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Mark Louis Robustelli, 27, of Medford, was hospitalized with critical injuries. Thatcher-Stephens' passenger, Ian Graham-Collier, 16, of Ashland also was hospitalized but released three days after the crash. Police would not say whether they have questioned Graham-Collier. Despite Thatcher-Stephens' death, several criminal charges could be filed in the case, including furnishing alcohol to a minor and hindering prosecution, Moran said. Police still need to establish a timeline of Thatcher-Stephens' activities in the six or seven hours between the end of the school day and the 9:32 p.m. crash, in addition to determining who was with him during that time, Moran said. A grand jury hearing could compel some witnesses to testify, Moran said. The possibility of convening a grand jury will be just one topic investigators will discuss next week with Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell, who is reviewing the case. A grand jury panel also is likely to review the actions of two police officers who trailed Thatcher-Stephens as he raced down Riverside at speeds of 90 to 100 mph.   DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange Online Casinos Community Fasa Student Loans Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams