Head-on crash Oct. 26 killed Somers teacher Dawn Bowker

The Daily Inter Lake

Jason Deshazer, the Kalispell man charged with negligent homicide in the Oct. 26 traffic death of Somers Middle School teacher Dawn Bowker, changed his plea to guilty Thursday.

On Dec. 7 he had entered a not-guilty plea, and was awaiting a March 12 jury trial.

His plea change will move court action forward to his sentencing.

Alcohol was a factor in the crash early that Thursday morning when Deshazer's eastbound vehicle drifted into Bowker's lane on Montana 82 as she was on her way to school.

The 27-year-old math and P.E. teacher died instantly of head injuries in the head-on crash. Deshazer, then 22, was injured and treated at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Deshazer admitted in court Thursday that he had been partying the night before. He said he had been using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, and had gotten very few hours of sleep before starting his drive on the Somers cut-across road.

Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan said all three substances had been found in his blood when it was tested.

Deshazer said he did not remember the accident, but conceded that he must have blacked out before drifting across the center line into Bowker's lane of traffic.

Bowker was in her second year of teaching at Somers Middle School, but had made a significant impact on students and staff. She was well-loved for her compassionate, positive attitude, respected for her energetic dedication to her profession and her faith.

She was an outdoorswoman who inspired students to challenge themselves, while at the same time giving them every opportunity for success. As a musician, Bowker composed and performed Christian music for personal enjoyment and to share with friends.

Since her death, students and staff have created several memorials at the school, including planting flower bulbs and fruit trees for "Miss Bowker's Garden" and committing themselves to practice acts of compassion.

After Deshazer's plea change Thursday, Corrigan said that in spring 2006, Deshazer had been cited for careless driving after he hit another vehicle. The passenger in that crash, Corrigan said, is permanently disabled.

Deshazer could be sentenced to as long as 20 years in state prison on the negligent homicide charge.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.