Former deputy sentenced for crash that killed ‘pillar of the community’
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BLACKFOOT — A former Bingham County Sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Friday shortly after pleading guilty to texting while driving and causing a crash that killed a man and injured his wife.
Stephanie Grisham, 39, was sentenced by Magistrate Judge Neal Randall to 180 days in jail with another 185 days of discretionary jail time, two years of supervised probation, a 3-year suspension of her driver’s license, and a maximum fine of $2,000.
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Grisham initially pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter of Robert Beal, 80, but changed her plea to guilty on Friday.
Sentencing
Six rows of Beal’s family and friends sat with pins on their shirts, decorated with a photo of Beal and the words, “In Loving Memory of Robert Beal.”
The hearing began with Grisham’s statement, offering her remorse over the situation, telling the judge she will never forget what happened, and will always regret texting while driving.
“One year ago tomorrow, it was a regular day, doing the job I loved. I made the terrible choice of being on my phone while I was driving,” said Grisham. “I could make a thousand excuses, but I don’t want to waste your time. I knew better, and I shouldn’t have been doing it.”
Grisham continued, apologizing directly to the Beal family and telling them she wished she had been allowed to apologize to them earlier and in person.
“I wish I would not have put anyone through that day. I hate the fact that I’ve put emotional stress on so many people that love me and care about me,” said Grisham. “Most of all I want to apologize to the Beal family, especially Linda. My actions that day took the life of a man who I’ve been told was a very good man, a man that was loved, and a man that loved many.”
Grisham’s defense attorney, Dennis Wilkinson, spoke about Grisham’s guilt and her PTSD diagnosis since the crash, saying she will struggle for the rest of her life because of her actions.
“Stephanie was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Panic Disorder as a result of this,” said Grisham. “She fully, fully, accepts responsibility. She fully expresses remorse. She beats herself up, frankly, and I know this sounds cliche, probably more than this court’s powers could levy any sort of punishment.”
Wilkinson argued that Grisham’s role as a deputy at the time of the crash was not something the judge should see as a negative factor in this case.
READ ROBERT BEAL’S OBITUARY HERE
“I’m telling you right now, she is deterred. She has been living in a jail of her own making over the last year, and very frankly, has very little to gain by jail time,” said Wilkinson. “I’m asking that we not treat Stephanie Grisham any different than any other defendant who comes before this court.”
The court then heard from many Beal family members and friends, who expressed how the crash had changed their lives and talked about Beal as a “pillar of the community.”
Beal’s wife, Linda, who was injured in the crash, explained that she and her husband had gone for a drive in the hills to look for animals, as they often did during their 60-year marriage when the crash occurred.
“The horror of that day will always be with me. It will never go away,” said Linda. “The worst part is the sleepless nights, as I remember seeing the dark-colored vehicle in our lane coming at us, and wondering, ‘Is that a drunk driver? Are they going to hit us?'”
She then addressed Grisham, saying that she prays for her healing and knows she is suffering too.
“I know it’s been a hard year for you also. I can only imagine what you’ve gone through physically and mentally. I know I’d be in a straight jacket if the table was turned,” said Linda. “I prayed for you at the crash site. We both lost so much that day, and I do have a lot of sympathy for you.”
Other family members spoke of Beal as a loving, intelligent, and hard-working man who liked spending time with family and fostered over 61 children with his wife.
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Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Garvin, a special attorney appointed in the case, showed images of the Beal’s truck after the scene, saying there was no reason this crash should’ve happened.
“Being a law enforcement officer means she didn’t just generally know the possible dangers of texting and driving, she had possibly seen terrible, even fatal collisions, resulting from distracted driving,” said Garvin.
Before pronouncing the sentence, Randall addressed Grisham, explaining he had received many letters of support for her and noting that because of the crash, the Beal family never got to say goodbye to Robert.
“There is never a good outcome. Nothing that this court can do will ever heal the wounds that will be inflicted upon the family,” said Randall. “Perhaps more than the loss of life is the takeaway of the opportunity to ever say goodbye.”
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