Traffic fatality cases remain to be tried

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-11-15

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Traffic fatality cases remain to be tried By JILL BRISKEY Mail Tribune Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston said he hopes to reach a decision next week regarding two men accused of causing fatal vehicle accidents while intoxicated. James Salmari of Rogue River was arrested by Oregon State Police in April and Red Bluff, Calif., resident Anthony Paul Carlisi was arrested by Medford officers in June. Both men were charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants and criminally negligent homicide. Although the two cases are not related, neither Salmari nor Carlisi has been formally charged by Huddleston's office. Salmari is accused of hitting Holly Lin Hall, 44, with his 1990 Jeep Cherokee on Rogue River Highway April 26. Hall, a Rogue River resident, was driving a motorcycle and died at the scene. Salmari was jailed after he allegedly admitted to having methadone in his system at the time of the accident. He later posted bail. Carlisi, 18, was arrested by Medford police June 24 following the death of Ashland High School student Traci Elizabeth Tedaldi, 17, in a two-vehicle accident on Poplar Drive. Carlisi allegedly made an illegal left turn and struck an oncoming vehicle. Three other teens suffered injuries in the accident. Carlisi reportedly told police he had smoked marijuana "in the last 24 hours" before the accident. The district attorney's office originally charged Carlisi in June with driving under the influence of intoxicants and criminally negligent homicide. However, those charges were dismissed in July. Police began to investigate the case once more at the request of the district attorney's office. Huddleston said the investigations into both cases are nearly complete and a decision on whether charges will be filed should be made next week. "We're still waiting for the state police to finish up some additional investigation and submit some reports," Huddleston said of the case against Salmari. "We'll need to review the reports and determine what course of action to take from there." In an earlier interview, Deputy District Attorney Karen Loomis said a decision to file charges was delayed because the detailed crash analysis and investigation took a long to time complete and later to review. According to Medford Sgt. Roy Skinner, Carlisi's case was set to go before a Jackson County grand jury this week but was delayed because of a heavy court caseload. Skinner added that the investigation into the fatal crash is essentially complete. 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.