Sentencing of Drake Carson Related To Pursuit Fatality

This teenage driver from Marion County faced multiple charges for the January 26th, 2015 traffic crash that left one person dead.

Woman died on the scene of a police pursuit turned fatal crash Monday. January 26, 2015 (Oregon State Police)

(SALEM, Ore.) - Today, Drake Alan Douglas Carson, 17, pled guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, and Attempting to Elude a Police Officer.

After accepting the plea, the Honorable Cheryl Pellegrini sentenced Carson to a total of 84 months in the Department of Corrections, followed by 27 months of Post-Prison Supervision.

Given Carson's age at the time the offense was committed and the length of the sentence, the Department of Corrections will determine whether the sentence is served in an adult correctional facility or with the Oregon Youth Authority in a juvenile correctional facility.

This case stemmed from a police pursuit on January 26th, 2015, on Howell Prairie Road in Mount Angel.

At approximately 6:00 p.m., a Mount Angel police officer attempted to stop Carson, who was driving a 2001 Chevrolet S-10 pickup. Carson did not stop for the officer, who began to pursue the vehicle with lights and a siren.

About 20 minutes after the pursuit began, Carson lost control of the pickup, went off the road, and crashed into a tree about one mile north of Saratoga Drive.

The collision resulted in the death of 35-year old Rhiannon Steele, who died at the scene, and serious physical injuries to the front seat passenger, a teen male.

He immediately ran from the vehicle without checking on the passengers in the pickup he was driving.

Carson was arrested by police the following morning when nearby residents reported a suspicious person asking for a ride.

Source: Marion County Sheriff's Office