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Woman pleads not guilty to vehicular homicide

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By CHRISTINE ROBINSON
Star-Tribune staff writer

Saturday, September 20, 2008 2:05 AM MDT

A woman charged with vehicular homicide pleaded not guilty on Friday in connection with the April 23 car crash that killed three people.

Amanda Snay used crutches as she walked to the podium to plead not guilty and ask a Natrona County District judge change her bond.

She wiped tears away as the judge read her charges, which include several counts of both vehicular homicide and driving while under the influence causing serious bodily injury.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol believes Snay was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when the car she was driving, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, rolled along Highway 20/26, according to an affidavit filed in Natrona County District Court.

Results from tests taken after the crash showed Snay had methamphetamine and alcohol in her system, according to the affidavit.

Snay, who was 20 years old at the time of the crash, was the only person in the car to survive. Adam Tucker, 21, died at the scene. Two other passengers, Adrian T. Produit, 31, and Shantel Miller, 16, died later at Wyoming Medical Center. All three lived in Mills.

Wyoming Highway Patrol officer Scott Keane stated in the affidavit that when he responded to the crash near Powder River, he found the three passengers were unconscious. Snay told him she had been driving the car and had been drinking.

She and the other three passengers were driving back to Casper from Shoshoni when she said Produit put his foot on the gas pedal. The car was driving 75 mph when he told her to "keep it there," Keane wrote.

Snay told officers she thought the car had mechanical problems, and she remembered Produit grabbing the wheel "to save us," Keane wrote. She jerked the wheel back from Produit and the car spun out of control and crashed, she said.

Her blood alcohol level two hours after the crash was .06, according to Keane. In Wyoming, a person is considered too drunk to drive with a blood alcohol level of .08 or greater. A blood alcohol level of .05 or greater, however, can be used with other evidence in determining whether a person was too drunk to drive.

A reconstruction expert told the Highway Patrol that Snay was driving 74 mph at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit, and was caused by "radical steering by the driver."

Snay's attorney asked the judge to lower her bond from $75,000 to $20,000 because her wounds from the car crash are not "healing properly."

Judge Scott Skavdahl continued the $75,000 bond which was set by a different judge.

Her trial is set to begin on Dec. 8. If convicted of all charges, she could face up to 90 years in prison.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com


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Comments to this story.

Wlp wrote on Sep 20, 2008 9:45 AM:

" Lock 'er up and throw away the key. Want to drink and drive and kill your friends? Get ready to pay the price. "

cc wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:46 PM:

" My heart and prayers go out to the family of the ones who lost their lives in this accident. I myself lost my son in an accident on Sept. 12, 2007. I was at the hospital with my daughter and met Amanda in the smoking area. I talked to her, and prayed with her. To write a comment to "lock her up and throw away the key" is just crazy! We have all made mistakes in our lives, and many people unfortunately drink, and or do drugs and drive. Unfortunately this time it cost three people their lives. I thank God that not everyone who drives under the influence, gets hurt, or cost lives. Yes, it's horrific to say the least, but have you ever made a mistake? Just remember, you'll be judged the same way you judge others. "

concerned citizen wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:49 PM:

" is this girl being denied medical care? she has not even been convicted yet. your story leads me to believe she deserves to suffer and not heal up properly from her injuries. maybe a little more information would be nice. "

chris wrote on Sep 20, 2008 7:57 PM:

" ANYONE who desides to drink and drive should be caught. IF AN accident occures, then he/she should pay the price for choosing to drive while drunk. Their are rules to be followed and they should be followed by all who are on the highway drunk or sober. If you are man/woman enough to drink and drive, then, you are man/woman enough to pay the piper as well. No one deserves to die just because, you decided to go out and have a few! The choice(s) you make are the ones you have to live with. "

kila wrote on Sep 20, 2008 9:43 PM:

" come on were they all drinking? 90 yrs? some punishment fine but 90 yrs i bet she will feel guilty longer. if you get in a car knowing the driver is drunk is only the driver to blame? was the 16 yr old on drugs and alcohol too? lots we dont know to say put her away for 89 yrs. how many of your friends get a slap on the wrist ? how many pay their way back to driving? "

Honesty wrote on Sep 21, 2008 8:03 PM:

" WWC for this girl. Time to pay for her actions. Her lawyer should be ashamed- what better place for a wound to heal than being extremly limited in your movements in a jail cell. I have no sympathy for this girl. "

Munchkin Hater wrote on Sep 22, 2008 1:11 AM:

" Can't wait to read how oldmunchkin will attempt to blame this on the cops and how 90 years is to long for a dui which isn't a crime in her view. "

Jeff M wrote on Sep 22, 2008 9:40 AM:

" What maggots to Judge lest they be judged in return. I bet the whole car was messed up and they got in at their own risk so they paid the price to get in . Lesson never get into a vehicle when the driver is high or drunk or you may to pay the priice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Denver Rose wrote on Sep 22, 2008 9:31 PM:

" This was truly a tradgey & the pain that Amanda will face for the rest of her life is going to be punishment. I knew Adrian for several years, in fact my boyfriend & Adrian were very close for many many years. You know, I don't condone drinking & driving either but anyone of the people in that car could have driven. I can't forsee laying sole blame on Amanda when every person in that car was partying too hard to maintain any control. You play hard & then you pay hard. How many of you listing your "opinion" here can say that you have never driven under the influence?? I'm not proud to say it but I have - how many of you people throwing these stones live in glass houses? I myself will pray for Amanda & the life she now faces, knowing she has killed these friends of hers. "

cc wrote on Sep 24, 2008 2:36 AM:

" Denve Rose, I agree with you whole heartedly. Like I said, I talked personally to Amanda and her family and friends, just days after the accident. I seen the pain in this girls eyes. I felt the heartache in her voice. At the time I talked to her, the one man was still alive. She had prayed for his recovery, unfortunately God took him home. Amanda my prayers are still with you! And from what I know they had all been under the influence. Choices they all made. It doesn't stop the fact that families all four of them in that car are going to need lots of prayer to get through all this. Please don't be cruel. "

goood grief wrote on Sep 24, 2008 11:17 AM:

" wha wha wha she needs to pay for what she did she was the driver she was responable for her passengers if it was the other way around who ever was in the drivers seat would be in the same situation what ever happenes to her good she should have been sober to drive and no i have never drove under the influence i would never indanger the lives of my friends how dumb can you possibly be!! "

Denver Rose wrote on Sep 24, 2008 9:59 PM:

" To err is human - to forgive is divine

to :Good grief: I am glad you are such a righteous person & have never driven under the influence - you deserve a medal!

I have made plenty of mistakes in my life, and drinking & driving was one of them - thank God no one was hurt but all I was saying was that despite Amanda's mistake - & yes it was grave, she doesn't need jerks like you laying their opinion on her - she has plenty of suffering ahead of her, but hey man if it makes you feel like a hero to go at her then take your best shot because I doubt your opinion, my opinion, or anyones opinion here will change a darn thing! "

WHAT wrote on Sep 25, 2008 4:55 PM:

" She could have pullled the vehicle over and told that idiot to get out if he doesn' t like her speed. But no she was stupid and drunk and couldn't come to that sensable conclusion and ended up killing the idiot and the other two kids! Plus the fact she was on meth! You know screw her and her wounds she probably has aids from the needles any way and they wont heal! She has made some flat out STUPID MISTAKES and now it is costing her the freedom she had. boohoo "

goood greif wrote on Sep 26, 2008 9:29 AM:

" to; denver rose wha wha wha she made the mistake now she gets to pay for them good i hope she gets all 90 years and rots in there. "

Wow wrote on Sep 27, 2008 9:15 AM:

" There are some pretty harsh judgements here. Yes what a sad thing that happened. She will pay for this the rest of her life no matter what the court does to her. Noone wins. I pray that she can someday forgive herself, and the families of the people who died can forgive her too. We know she will get a prison sentence, and after her life on this earth, she will meet her maker and that is when the real judgement starts. I am not excusing her, she made a pretty bad decision. We all have, at one time or another, but most of just don't get caught. "

Sgt. wrote on Sep 27, 2008 2:43 PM:

" DUI's seem to be an ongoing theme in Natrona County. Seems that the bar owners and the citizens who patronize the bars are unable to police themselves. Perhaps it is time to step in with some restrictions on liquor licenses, like a 10 pm cut off. "

wrote on Oct 1, 2008 12:14 AM:

" all the people had something in there bodies both guys had alcohol and he didnt grab the wheel to save them he wanted to get home to meet up with someone ( probation officer). all she did was help her friends in a jam they needed her to take the them out of town to pick up adam cause the girlfriend wanted to see him. amanda was on cough meds. and that will show up methamphetamine in a drug test just like poppy seeds if you take enough. look passed your nose people there is more then you know going on here. get the facts before you decide something on someone else KARMA!!!! "

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