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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, March 20, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 20, 2005 Forensic lab test confirms alcohol in dead teen driver By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Results of a toxicology exam confirm an Ashland teen drank alcohol before he sped through downtown Medford last month in a Jeep Cherokee and slammed into a Chevy Blazer, killing himself and the other vehicle’s driver. Tests conducted at an Oregon State Police forensic laboratory in Portland measured Kevan Thatcher-Stephens’ blood-alcohol content at .07 percent, Dr. James Olson, medical examiner for southwestern Oregon, said Saturday. Olson said the sample used by OSP technicians was collected from Thatcher-Stephens, 17, about three hours following the fatal Feb. 11 crash at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street. A preliminary test of blood drawn by nurses shortly after Thatcher-Stephens arrived at Providence Medford Medical Center the night of the crash measured the teen’s blood-alcohol content at .16 percent, twice the adult legal limit. Olson said the discrepancy between reports occurred because by the time the second sample was collected, the teen’s blood had been diluted by multiple blood transfusions and the introduction of intravenous fluid into his system. Advertisement "This is not an unexpected result," Olson said. "The hospital records, I have no reason to doubt." Olson said Thatcher-Stephens’ blood also tested positive for an unknown amount of cannabinoids, which indicates prior use of marijuana or hashish. No other drugs were present in the teen’s blood the night of the crash, OSP tests showed. Autopsies were completed last month for Thatcher-Stephens and Blazer driver Charles Bench, 26, of Shady Cove, who was also killed in the crash. Olson said OSP lab technicians found no trace of alcohol or drugs in a blood sample collected from Bench following the wreck. Toxicology test results for Thatcher-Stephens and Bench have been turned over to Josephine County District Attorney Stephen Campbell, who is conducting an investigation into the crash. Campbell said last week that his inquiry could include looking into the conduct of police officers who trailed behind the Cherokee as it sped along Riverside at 90 to 100 mph moments before slamming into the Blazer. Medford police, who were not involved in the incident, have handled much of the preliminary investigation into the wreck. A 16-year-old passenger in the Cherokee and a male passenger in the Blazer were hospitalized with serious injuries sustained in the crash. Police previously said Thatcher-Stephens, whose driver’s license was suspended in January, was speeding away from Talent police Officer Jeff Price and Jackson County sheriff’s Capt. Joe Puckett when the wreck occurred just after 9:30 p.m. The officers began following the teen’s Cherokee after learning the Jeep had been seen traveling at a high speed along South Pacific Highway. Price remains on active duty, but Puckett has been on paid administrative leave for the past month while Oregon State Police review his involvement. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said Lt. Dewey Patten is spending more time supervising the department’s patrol division during Puckett’s absence. Patten serves as commander of the Jackson County Narcotics Enforcement Team but has "always been in charge of patrol" deputies, as well as detectives and county drug agents, Winters said. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s