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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, February 24, 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 Classifieds Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA 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 February 13, 2005 Speeding teen driver also dies By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune The 17-year-old driver of a Jeep Cherokee that smashed into another vehicle Friday after speeding through Medford followed by police died of injuries sustained in the collision. Kevan James Thatcher-Stephens, an Ashland High School junior, died late Friday at Providence Medford Medical Center, police said. Pronounced dead at the scene of the crash was Charles Ashley Bench, 26, of Shady Cove, the driver of a 1994 Chevy Blazer that was struck as it entered the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street. The impact caused the Blazer to skid across Riverside before coming to rest about 150 feet from the spot of the collision. "That was a horrific crash," said Medford police Lt. Tim George. "It looked like a bomb went off." Hundreds of pieces from both vehicles were scattered throughout the area following the wreck. Advertisement "You wonder how anyone survived," said Andrew Graham-Collier of Ashland, whose 16-year-old son, Ian, was a passenger in the Cherokee. The Ashland High student was listed in fair condition Saturday at Providence, a hospital spokeswoman said. A passenger in the Blazer, Mark Louis Robustelli, 27, of Medford, is in critical condition at Providence but is expected to survive, family members said. "There was an angel on his shoulder," said his father, Robert Robustelli. "From the looks of those cars, no one should have made it." Police have launched an investigation into events leading up to the wreck, which occurred when Thatcher-Stephens ignored a red light and slammed into the Blazer driven by Bench. At the time, the Cherokee was estimated to be traveling between 90 and 100 mph, Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said late Friday. Talent police officer Jeff Price was trailing the Cherokee. Investigators believe the patrol car was "a ways back" when the crash happened, George said. A Jackson County sheriff’s patrol car driven by Capt. Joe Puckett was following the Talent vehicle to provide cover to the city officer, Sheriff Mike Winters said. George said investigators have not concluded Price and Puckett were actively chasing the Cherokee in order to conduct a traffic stop. Price was close enough to see the crash occur, George said. "I’m not so sure that what we had was a pursuit," George said. "(Police) were not right on top of (the Cherokee). "We’re in the beginning stages of the investigation, and it’s going to take several days to put it all together." At 9:22 p.m., the Cherokee passed a Phoenix police officer on South Pacific Highway while traveling at a high rate of speed. Moran said occupants of the vehicle were "honking and yelling" at the officer, who was conducting a traffic stop. Officer Price, whom Talent Police Chief Bob Rector said was in Medford on a meal break at the Dairy Queen on Barnett Road, saw the Cherokee at 9:32 p.m. and tried to stop it on Riverside. One minute later, the Cherokee crashed into the Blazer, then collided with a utility pole. Rector said Price was headed back to Talent when he caught sight of the Cherokee. "I think it’s a very natural question to ask — what was Talent doing in Medford, involved in this incident?" Rector said. "From the public’s standpoint, I think that’s a fair question." Rector said Price decided to follow the Cherokee because he was not about to ignore a reckless vehicle in his vicinity. "If our officer is the one that comes in contact with (a crime or accident) in our jurisdiction or someone else’s jurisdiction, he is going to respond," Rector said. "Sometimes, a police officer just happens onto something." George said investigators have not yet determined the speed Price and Puckett traveled as they followed the Cherokee. Police are not ready to release details regarding whether the officers ran red lights along Riverside before the crash or had their patrol cars’ lights and sirens activated, George said. Medford police were not involved in the chase, and only learned the Cherokee had been seen speeding toward their jurisdiction a few minutes before the wreck. George said he presumed Medford patrol officers learned of the reckless vehicle by listening to their patrol car scanners. Medford detectives are leading the interagency investigation into the crash. Police findings will be turned over to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for review, George said. Police found no evidence of alcohol or drugs at the scene of the collision. George said a medical examiner will conduct tests to determine whether Thatcher-Stephens or Bench had ingested intoxicants in the hours preceding the crash. Andrew Graham-Collier said he doubts his son and Thatcher-Stephens were intoxicated at the time. He said the boys spent the evening at an Ashland High basketball game, but he did not know why they were headed north toward Medford afterward. "I will be very surprised if drugs or alcohol were involved in this," Graham-Collier said. "I think something else was going on — I don’t know what. ... A teenage mind is not fully evolved, and can respond irrationally to a threat. That might have been what happened here." 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 Advertisement s