Matthew Ingle guilty for role in fatal crash

Ingle sentenced to 20 years in state hospital

By Garth Guibord

Pamplin Media Group, Nov 18, 2009, Updated Nov 18, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2

Mygrant told the court that an investigation into the accident showed that blood taken from Ingle, along with testimony from Ingle, revealed he was under the influence of marijuana, anti-depression medication and anti-psychotic medication at the time.

Ingle reportedly had smoked the marijuana within two hours of the accident.

Ingle was “in that window of impairment” from the drugs when the accident occurred, Mygrant noted, adding that the medications had a “compounded effect” to the marijuana.

The investigation also revealed that Ingle had admitted himself three times in the month leading up to the collision to hospital psychiatric wards in the Portland area. He was diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and released.

During the investigation following the accident, Mygrant reported, an Oregon State Trooper interviewed Ingle and found he was hallucinating and believed aliens contributed to the crash, and that Ingle took steps, including eating Pepcid AC, to protect himself from the devil.

The investigation also revealed that a friend of Ingle’s reported that Ingle would “zone out” while driving and had previously run stop signs.

An evaluation performed by the state mental hospital concluded that Ingle was hallucinating regularly and delusional up to 30 days prior to the accident and that Ingle suffers from schizophrenia. Mygrant added that an independent psychiatrist scrutinized the report “tremendously.”

Mygrant also noted that John Benson, Pamela’s husband and Clarice’s father, endorsed the agreement. Kathy Pollock, John Benson’s mother, addressed the court with a statement and read poems that Clarice Benson had written.

“The ones that you stole are the ones that are showing you mercy,” Pollock read from a statement from her son. “To me you are nothing.”

As spectators in the courtroom held back tears, Pollock told the court that Pamela and Clarice Benson made and sold tie-dyed clothing and sold them at a Saturday market so that Clarice could learn business skills. Pamela Benson was a speech pathologist who worked with children, and, Pollock said, her co-workers reported “she had a great gift and used it well.”

Pollock added that Clarice “was the apple of her father’s eye and a helpful big sister” to her younger brother. Clarice was a member of 4-H and an avid reader, as evidenced by her checking out 2,200 books out of the Sandy Library in the last four years.

“Mr. Ingle, the family’s hope is that you will never forget the faces of Pam and Clarice Benson,” Pollock said. “We have no room in our heart for hate because hate destroys.”

McCauley, who noted that he has children and grandchildren, said the accident “couldn’t be more tragic” and that Ingle recognized the enormity of what happened. He also added that Ingle was attempting to turn himself in on the earlier charges at the time of the accident.

“I’m terribly sorry about everything that’s happened,” a bearded Ingle said near the end of the proceeding.

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2