Monday night Johnathan James Dowdy was lodged in the Coos County Jail on charges that included first-degree manslaughter and multiple traffic crimes after he crashed into a Chevrolet Express bus holding the Umpqua Community College softball team.
Dowdy, 32 of Coos Bay, had been announced by the Oregon State Police over the weekend as the other driver in a crash that resulted in the deaths of two members of the Umpqua Community College’s softball team — one student-athlete and a coach.
According to Oregon State Police, Dowdy was operating a Chevrolet Silverado when he drifted into the oncoming lane on Highway 42 near milepost 23 just as the UCC softball team was returning from a game at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay.
Coos County District Attorney Jody Newby confirmed that Dowdy’s arrest was based on Friday night’s crash near Myrtle Point.
“Yes, that is my understanding,” said Newby, who added they have not yet received enough information from the Oregon State Police to be able to comment further, such as the circumstances of the arrest.
First-degree manslaughter in Oregon revised statutes carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Within the subsections of first-degree manslaughter, it can be committed either recklessly or negligently while driving under the influence of intoxicants if the driver has three prior conviction for driving under the influence within the previous 10 years, and has a prior assault conviction committed by driving a vehicle.
Other charges listed under Dowdy’s booking in the Coos County Jail include second-degree assault, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and 10 months in prison. His other charges include third-degree assault, recklessly endangering another person, aggravated driving while suspended, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, driving while suspended and second-degree criminal mischief.
Aggravated driving while suspended, a class C felony, is a rarely-charged offense as it is committed by a person whose license was not only suspended when they caused caused a serious physical injury or death while driving, but the current suspension was based on a previous conviction for a criminal driving offense.
Meanwhile, the subsections listed under Dowdy’s arrest for driving while suspended include one in which the suspension was based on a previous conviction for a serious traffic crime, and another in which the suspension was based on a prior conviction of a misdemeanor committed by driving, or by a previous DUII in which the person either refused a Breathalyzer test, submitted to a test resulting in a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, or was driving a commercial vehicle and had a blood alcohol content of .04 or more.
Dowdy’s lodging occurred after business hours Monday, and his case is not yet listed in the records of Coos County Circuit Court. The News-Review reached out to the offices of the Oregon State Police for details on the arrest, and will provide updates on the criminal case as they become available.
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