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Man charged one year after woman motorcyclist's death By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Anthony James Salmari allegedly had methadone perking through his system when he killed a local woman in a auto-motorcycle collision along Rogue River Highway on April 26, 2001. Exactly one year later in a separate incident, Salmari was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants (allegedly methadone) and being a felon in possession of a weapon (a rifle) on the same highway where the fatal accident that claimed the life of Holly Lin Hall of Rogue River took place. Salmari, 43, of Rogue River, was arrested by Rogue River police and lodged in the Jackson County Jail Saturday night. Monday, Salmari was arraigned in Jackson County Circuit Court on charges of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and driving under the influence of intoxicants in connection with the 2001 incident. The grand jury is scheduled to hear that case on Thursday. Although Oregon State Police arrested Salmari in 2001, the district attorney's office waited one year before filing formal charges. District Attorney Mark Huddleston said the delay was the result of an in-depth investigation into the crash, Salmari's background and the clinic where he obtained methadone. Huddleston said filing the charges from the 2001 incident on Monday was "appropriate" with the investigation's completion. He said the formal filing of charges had nothing to do with Salmari's arrest on Saturday. Driving while using methadone is not necessarily illegal, but it can be if police determine the driver's ability is impaired. It is considered a controlled substance. Huddleston said the methadone that Salmari allegedly took before the accident was obtained legally from a Grants Pass clinic. "It's a complex case," he said. "We've done a lot on it in the last year." According to police reports, Salmari was traveling west along Rogue River Highway in 2001 when he made a left turn at milepost 7 into an acquaintance's driveway. His car struck and killed Hall, 44 who was driving east on a motorcycle. Hall was pronounced dead at the scene. Although Lyman Hall, Holly Hall's husband, was pleased to hear of the charges, he remains angry about the delay. "I think it's about time," said Hall, a Rogue River man who works for a tree trimming and removal service. "That's just not acceptable to me." Hall has fought to see charges brought against Salmari since the death of Holly Hall, who worked at a local crisis center. In September, more than 50 of Hall's friends and family riding motorcycles protested at the district attorney's office on 10th Street, hoping to prompt a decision from Huddleston. Following the trial, Hall said, he plans to fight for tighter legislation regulating methadone use, distribution and consumption. "Holly was my one and only true love and it's the saddest thing in the world," Hall said. "It's my obligation make sure what needs to happen does." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.