Not guilty plea is entered in crash case

SANDPOINT - A Clark Fork man pleaded not guilty Monday to felony vehicular manslaughter in connection with a deadly rollover crash which accidentally killed his friend.

Zachary Bradshaw Palmer's trial in 1st District Court is planned for February. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and $15,000 in fines.

Palmer, 20, is free on bail while the case is pending.

Idaho State Police said Palmer was legally drunk when he rolled a Chevrolet Corvette on River Road southeast of Clark Fork on Oct. 8. His blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.13, which is nearly twice the legal limit to drive.

The crash killed Tyler James Pesce, an 18-year-old from Hope who was a passenger in the two-seat sports car. No alcohol was detected in Pesce's bloodstream, according to an ISP forensic lab report.

Palmer was ordered to stand trial last month after a preliminary hearing in during with the test results were admitted as evidence.