COLFAX, WA – Criminal charges will not be pursued against the drivers who caused two recent serious crashes South of Colfax, including a fatal collision.

The Washington State Patrol has completed its investigations into the crashes. On Labor Day Weekend, a 20-year-old Vancouver, Washington, woman, Makala Wheeler, made a bad pass on U.S. Highway 195. She struck an oncoming vehicle, killing 67-year-old Sandra Hall of Colfax. The crash injured Wheeler and her four passengers, who were all 18-year-olds from Vancouver.

Wheeler was not driving impaired. WSP Public Information Officer Trooper Caleb Hudson tells Pullman Radio News that evidence from the full investigation did not support a vehicular homicide charge against Wheeler. Trooper Hudson says the evidence failed to show that Wheeler was driving with disregard for the safety of others, which is the threshold that would have been required for this case. Wheeler was ticketed for making a bad pass.

Troopers have also determined that there isn’t enough evidence to support a criminal case from the serious injury crash that occurred on the evening of December 3rd. WSP did determine that 47-year-old Christopher Duxbury of Spokane crossed the centerline South of Colfax on U.S. Highway 195. Duxbury hit a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old Washington State University student

Blaise Banks of Homer, Alaska. Banks suffered serious injuries. Duxbury was also injured. Trooper Hudson says that there was not enough evidence to meet the criminal threshold for a vehicular assault charge against Duxbury. He was ticketed for driving over the centerline. Duxbury was not driving impaired.