Newport
Amber King also pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault and two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, all felonies, at her arraignment in Sullivan Superior Court in Newport.
Prosecutors say King was under the influence of drugs and traveling 91 mph when she lost control of her Jeep Grand Cherokee near Tractor Supply on April 23.
King was traveling eastbound on Route 103, also known as Main Street, that afternoon when her vehicle crossed the center line into the westbound lane, hit an embankment, rolled over and came to a rest on its roof back in the eastbound lane. Amanda Grasso, 32, was ejected in the crash and landed in the Sugar River; she later was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to court documents.
Another passenger, Jody Metcalf, suffered serious injuries in the crash, including a fractured skull, vertebrae fracture and brain bleeding, court documents indicate.
Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway on Wednesday said Metcalf still is recovering from her injuries.
King’s husband, Jacob, also was in the vehicle that day. He and King were transported to the hospital after the crash; both have since been released.
Hathaway, who is prosecuting the case, and King’s attorney, Jennifer Cohen, debated during the arraignment whether King’s bail should be reconsidered.
King has been free since she made her $2,500 bail in June, a figure that was imposed by Sullivan Superior Court Judge Brian Tucker. Tucker reduced her bail to that amount from $50,000 because he didn’t feel King was a flight risk and felt that conditions he put in place would protect her and the community.
Hathaway on Wednesday pushed to have King’s bail put back to $50,000. Tucker, however, sided with the defense, which originally pushed to reduce King’s bail.
Though he understands the charges are serious, Tucker said King is “presumed innocent” at this stage.
“We can’t lock everybody up,” he said.
Tucker kept the same conditions in place on Wednesday that he put in place in June; they include that King not drive nor use alcohol or drugs.
According to a police affidavit in the case, a state trooper conducted several tests on King from her hospital bed shortly after the crash and concluded that King exhibited signs of having narcotics in her system. In interviews, King told police she had used heroin that day and used other drugs in recent days, the affidavit said.
Police recovered evidence of drug use at the crash site, including cans of Dust-Off, an aerosol sometimes used as an inhalant for its intoxicating effects, according to the affidavit.
King told police she didn’t use Dust-Off.
In court on Wednesday, Hathaway said King’s blood tests were positive for an ingredient used in Dust-Off: a form of Freon, an aerosol propellant or refrigerant. He said the results were a “significant indicator” that King had inhaled the substance.
King denies being impaired at the time of the crash, and told police the crash could have been caused by a “vehicle defect,” according to the affidavit.
If convicted of all offenses, King faces a prison sentence ranging from 14 to 28 years.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.