LIHU‘E — A former Kaua‘i Coffee driver pleaded no contest to a 2010 negligent homicide case on Monday in 5th Circuit Court. William Camm Corbett, 63, of Lihu‘e, pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree negligent homicide and
LIHU‘E — A former Kaua‘i Coffee driver pleaded no contest to a 2010 negligent homicide case on Monday in 5th Circuit Court.
William Camm Corbett, 63, of Lihu‘e, pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree negligent homicide and two counts of third-degree assault as charged.
In his statements to the court, Corbett said he was changing his plea on the advice of his attorney, Miles Breiner.
The charges date back to the morning of Feb. 11, 2010, when Corbett’s delivery van crossed into the oncoming lane of Kuhio Highway in Lawa‘i and collided another vehicle.
The car was driven by 59-year-old Glenn Doi, who died later that day from his injuries. The two assault charges are for the injured driver and passenger of a third vehicle who were treated for injuries.
According to the terms of plea in open court, the state may request up to five-year’s prison.
The defendant may request probation, but not ask for a deferment or admission to drug court as a first-time drug offender.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 31. The class C felony negligent homicide charge has a maximum possible five-year prison term.
The misdemeanor assault charges are misdemeanors that each carry a one-year sentence.
The case was brought before Judge Kathleen Watanabe by way of grand jury indictment in January 2012. She granted a defense motion for independent testing of blood samples taken from Corbett the day of the accident.
The court denied a motion to suppress the voluntariness of the blood sample as evidence in June, in part because Watanabe said a moving violation resulting in a severe accident causing injury and death is probable cause for a blood test.
Breiner questioned the voluntariness of the test that was administered to Corbett at the hospital the day of the accident. No criminal charges were brought until the indictment almost three years later.
The defense had argued that the defendant was not intoxicated and that trace samples of methamphetamine or amphetamine in his system were not relevant to the accident.
