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49 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 9, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 30, 2004 Suspect in DUII returns to jail Local man charged with manslaughter is put back after reports of drinking, driving By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Faced with new allegations of drinking and driving, an Eagle Point man charged with manslaughter is back in jail. Witnesses for Jackson County prosecutors testified Monday that John Patrick Bush, 30, drank alcohol, drove and failed a lie-detector test since bailing out of jail in February. Arrested in October last year, Bush is implicated in the death of 29-year-old Robert Andrew Baker of Butte Falls. A passenger in Bush’s pickup truck, Baker died on April 7, 2003, when Bush flipped the half-ton Ford against an embankment on Butte Falls Highway. Police said Bush’s blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was .296 percent — nearly four times the legal limit of .08 percent. Nearly nine years earlier, Bush was the driver in a crash on Obenchain Road that killed 21-year-old David Edward Buchanan of Central Point. Bush was indicted on charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, but the charges were dismissed. He instead served probation after pleading guilty to DUII. Bush has pleaded not guilty in the most recent case to charges of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving under the influence of intoxicants. His trial date is set for Jan. 25. Advertisement Although he isn’t supposed to consume alcohol or drive, Bush was driving his pickup near Willow Lake and drinking a can of Busch beer sometime around July 4, testified Maria Rodriguez. A longtime acquaintance of Bush, Rodriguez said he was visibly intoxicated, adding that she pulled his keys from the pickup’s ignition. She returned the keys after Bush shoved her, she said in court Monday. Rodriguez said she told Sgt. Dace Cochran of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department about her run-in with Bush when he pulled her over several months ago. Cochran testified that he warned Rodriguez about speeding, mentioning she wasn’t too far from the spot where Bush crashed his truck in April 2003. Rodriguez then related her encounter with Bush at the lake, Cochran said. Cochran also testified that Butte Falls Police Chief Mark Crumley told him he saw Bush intoxicated outside a local tavern. When Cochran showed Crumley Bush’s jail photo, the police chief confirmed the manslaughter defendant was the man he had seen, the sergeant testified. Cochran notified Bush’s supervisory officer with Jackson County Community Justice after hearing he was not allowed to drink alcohol or drive while free on bail. Bush, who lives in the 9100 block of Butte Falls Highway, has no valid driver’s license. Officer Dina Harris testified that she ordered Bush to undergo a polygraph exam, which showed him to be deceptive on questions regarding drinking alcohol and driving. Bush previously had never violated any conditions of his release, she said. Taking the stand Monday, Bush agreed he had taken the polygraph exam and was deemed deceptive. However, he denied ever drinking or driving since his release from jail. Several defense witnesses told the court that Bush’s pickup only started with a screwdriver stuck in the ignition. Bush’s attorney Bob Abel argued that because Bush didn’t have any keys for his truck, Rodriguez must be lying about meeting his client at the lake and trying to prevent him from driving. While the argument over key versus screwdriver was "curious," Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Ray White said it didn’t control his decision. "Due to the significant nature of the violation and the danger to the community, the court is revoking the release agreement," White said. White ordered Bush back to jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. Cochran handcuffed Bush and took him into custody immediately following Monday’s hearing. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. 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