mgsooner
7/29/2011, 01:22 PM
Some of you may remember this from back in 2009. Here's the background:
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/30/2010 10:22 PM
Last Modified: 7/30/2010 10:22 PM
The driver of a Hummer that was involved in a three-fatality wreck said he had turned around to check on his dog before losing control of the vehicle, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper testified Friday.
Steven Wade Jameson said that upon losing control, he tried to swerve to the left but struck a car, Trooper Matt Logsdon said at Jameson’s preliminary hearing.
Jameson appeared to be “relaxed” while on a gurney in the back of an ambulance after the Christmas Eve crash, Logsdon indicated.
Jameson got emotional when told about the three deaths but was “pretty calm” after an emotional outburst, the trooper indicated.
The preliminary hearing for Jameson, 20, started Friday before Special Judge Stephen Clark. The hearing resumes Sept. 10, and Jameson remains free on bond.
Prosecutors filed three counts of first-degree manslaughter, alleging that Jameson was impaired by marijuana when he crashed a 2004 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicle into a Chevrolet Cobalt around 12:15 p.m. Dec. 24.
The occupants of the Chevrolet — Michael Mulanax, 42, Angela Mulanax, 41, and their 18-year-old son, James Mulanax — were killed.
Jameson is also charged with single counts of possessing marijuana and driving without a driver’s license.
The wreck occurred in wintry weather as Jameson was eastbound on Oklahoma 51 near Avery Drive in Sand Springs. The Mulanaxes, of Sand Springs, were traveling west, reports show.
Logsdon said the yellow Hummer crossed into a westbound lane, struck the front of the Chevrolet, went airborne and overturned.
Jeff Hubble, who also was driving east on Oklahoma 51, said the Hummer was traveling too fast for the road conditions.
After the crash, Jameson said his “driver’s license had been suspended and he shouldn’t have been driving,” Hubble testified.
Jameson was in shock, crying and remorseful, he said.
Amanda Tidwell, who was traveling east on Oklahoma 51 with her boyfriend, said sleet had left the road surface “pretty slick.”
Tidwell said they saw a yellow Hummer traveling too fast for the road conditions. The way the vehicle was speeding, “we felt he might kill somebody,” she testified.
Trent Brown, an EMSA paramedic, said Jameson “was pretty upset about what happened” at the crash scene.
Jameson would sob on and off and pet his dog, he indicated.
Logsdon said he found inside the Hummer a bottle containing a green leafy substance with an odor that he associated with marijuana.
When told that he was being arrested for possessing marijuana and for driving without a valid license, Jameson “laughed and said it wasn’t his marijuana,” Logsdon testified.
After the five-count charge was filed three months ago, defense lawyer Allen Smallwood said Jameson, a Tulsan attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, denied that he was driving while impaired by marijuana.
The impairment accusation is a key element of the manslaughter counts. Jameson was jailed on three misdemeanor complaints of negligent homicide before prosecutors decided to file three felony counts of manslaughter.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20100730_11_0_Thedri974769
Article about sentencing:
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/29/2011 1:05 PM
Last Modified: 7/29/2011 1:05 PM
A Tulsa man was sentenced Friday to more than 20 years in prison for three counts of first-degree manslaughter, linked to a 2009 Christmas Eve crash that killed three members of a Sand Springs family.
Steven Wade Jameson was handed a 24-year prison sentence and eight years of probation.
Jameson, 21, had no plea agreement with prosecutors to govern punishment. Associate District Judge Matthew Henry, who typically hears Pawnee County but handled this case as a member of the judicial district that includes Tulsa and Pawnee counties, determined Jameson’s punishment.
Jameson has been in the Tulsa Jail since May 16, the day he pleaded guilty. He had previously been free on bond.
Each manslaughter count carried a minimum sentence of four years and a maximum of life in prison.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20110729_14_0_ATulsa6683&rss_lnk=439
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/30/2010 10:22 PM
Last Modified: 7/30/2010 10:22 PM
The driver of a Hummer that was involved in a three-fatality wreck said he had turned around to check on his dog before losing control of the vehicle, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper testified Friday.
Steven Wade Jameson said that upon losing control, he tried to swerve to the left but struck a car, Trooper Matt Logsdon said at Jameson’s preliminary hearing.
Jameson appeared to be “relaxed” while on a gurney in the back of an ambulance after the Christmas Eve crash, Logsdon indicated.
Jameson got emotional when told about the three deaths but was “pretty calm” after an emotional outburst, the trooper indicated.
The preliminary hearing for Jameson, 20, started Friday before Special Judge Stephen Clark. The hearing resumes Sept. 10, and Jameson remains free on bond.
Prosecutors filed three counts of first-degree manslaughter, alleging that Jameson was impaired by marijuana when he crashed a 2004 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicle into a Chevrolet Cobalt around 12:15 p.m. Dec. 24.
The occupants of the Chevrolet — Michael Mulanax, 42, Angela Mulanax, 41, and their 18-year-old son, James Mulanax — were killed.
Jameson is also charged with single counts of possessing marijuana and driving without a driver’s license.
The wreck occurred in wintry weather as Jameson was eastbound on Oklahoma 51 near Avery Drive in Sand Springs. The Mulanaxes, of Sand Springs, were traveling west, reports show.
Logsdon said the yellow Hummer crossed into a westbound lane, struck the front of the Chevrolet, went airborne and overturned.
Jeff Hubble, who also was driving east on Oklahoma 51, said the Hummer was traveling too fast for the road conditions.
After the crash, Jameson said his “driver’s license had been suspended and he shouldn’t have been driving,” Hubble testified.
Jameson was in shock, crying and remorseful, he said.
Amanda Tidwell, who was traveling east on Oklahoma 51 with her boyfriend, said sleet had left the road surface “pretty slick.”
Tidwell said they saw a yellow Hummer traveling too fast for the road conditions. The way the vehicle was speeding, “we felt he might kill somebody,” she testified.
Trent Brown, an EMSA paramedic, said Jameson “was pretty upset about what happened” at the crash scene.
Jameson would sob on and off and pet his dog, he indicated.
Logsdon said he found inside the Hummer a bottle containing a green leafy substance with an odor that he associated with marijuana.
When told that he was being arrested for possessing marijuana and for driving without a valid license, Jameson “laughed and said it wasn’t his marijuana,” Logsdon testified.
After the five-count charge was filed three months ago, defense lawyer Allen Smallwood said Jameson, a Tulsan attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, denied that he was driving while impaired by marijuana.
The impairment accusation is a key element of the manslaughter counts. Jameson was jailed on three misdemeanor complaints of negligent homicide before prosecutors decided to file three felony counts of manslaughter.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20100730_11_0_Thedri974769
Article about sentencing:
By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
Published: 7/29/2011 1:05 PM
Last Modified: 7/29/2011 1:05 PM
A Tulsa man was sentenced Friday to more than 20 years in prison for three counts of first-degree manslaughter, linked to a 2009 Christmas Eve crash that killed three members of a Sand Springs family.
Steven Wade Jameson was handed a 24-year prison sentence and eight years of probation.
Jameson, 21, had no plea agreement with prosecutors to govern punishment. Associate District Judge Matthew Henry, who typically hears Pawnee County but handled this case as a member of the judicial district that includes Tulsa and Pawnee counties, determined Jameson’s punishment.
Jameson has been in the Tulsa Jail since May 16, the day he pleaded guilty. He had previously been free on bond.
Each manslaughter count carried a minimum sentence of four years and a maximum of life in prison.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20110729_14_0_ATulsa6683&rss_lnk=439