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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 8, 2006 William Frederick Miller Driver convicted on assault charges By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune A Central Point man is guilty of felony assault for causing a car crash that left his friend brain-damaged and wheelchair-bound. William Frederick Miller, 21, is to be sentenced Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court in connection with the Sept. 26 collision on Blackwell Road that injured his four passengers. Circuit Court Judge Ray White found Miller guilty Tuesday of three counts of second-degree assault and one count each of third-degree assault and reckless driving. White found that Miller showed "extreme indifference to the value of human life" when he was speeding along Blackwell Road at about 11:20 p.m. Between Kirtland Road and Blackwell’s intersection with Interstate 5, Miller smashed an acquaintance’s Honda Accord into a loaded semi-truck. Crash forces hurled the Accord’s three back-seat passengers — 17-year-old Monica Marie Johnson, 18-year-old Sarah Jean Walker and 14-year-old Jordan Walker, all of Eagle Point — out of the car. None were wearing seat belts. Appearing in court Tuesday in a wheelchair, Johnson was released only about a week ago from Legacy Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, said her grandmother, Maria Perez of Central Point. Advertisement "You took our little girl from us," Perez told Miller following Tuesday’s verdict. "This is not the Monica we knew." Although Johnson was not paralyzed, the crash robbed her of her motor skills, Perez said. The teen can no longer walk or talk and is "basically bedridden," her grandmother said. Miller admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking beer at a party several hours before the wreck. He testified that he drove the Accord because its owner, 32-year-old Todd Andrew Cook of Medford, was too drunk. Cook also was hospitalized with serious injuries. Prosecutors, however, did not allege driving under the influence. Miller should have realized the risk of driving recklessly because earlier in the day, he had veered toward a friend walking alongside the road, striking him with his car, argued Tim Barnack, deputy district attorney for Jackson County. Miller was convicted Tuesday of a misdemeanor assault and reckless driving in that case. "He is certainly aware of a two-ton bullet, i.e., a car, and what it can do to people," Barnack told the court. Miller suffered a broken ankle and was arrested the day after the crash. He has since remained in the Jackson County Jail. Neither the truck’s driver, 38-year-old Richard Pratt of Weed, Calif., nor his passenger, 21-year-old Amanda Lee Moser of Weed, were injured. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Driver convicted on assault charges ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement