Woman who caused drunken-driving death accused of bond violation

A woman convicted in April of negligent homicide, negligent vehicular assault, and criminal endangerment in connection with a 2006 drunken-driving crash that killed one man and injured two other people was arrested Friday on suspicion of violating the conditions of her release.

After her conviction, 27-year-old Steffanie Ann Schauf was released on bond pending her June 20 sentencing hearing with the condition that she not consume alcohol.

But she recently was spotted drinking a cocktail in the bar area of a Bigfork restaurant, according to Flathead County sheriff's detectives. After an investigation into the validity of the allegations, a warrant was issued for Schauf's arrest. Deputies took her into custody at about 12:15 p.m. Friday at her Kalispell workplace.

Prosecutors originally charged Schauf with vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol, but the jury found her guilty of the lesser-included crime of negligent homicide in addition to the other original charges.

They deliberated for two days before announcing a verdict April 2 to a packed courtroom.

Schauf was driving southbound on U.S. 93 in her blue Mazda Miata at about 1:30 a.m. July 1, 2006. As she neared the Happy Valley area, her car slammed into the back of a Dodge pickup driven by Christopher Gray.

The impact sent the truck rolling down an embankment, ejecting 24-year-old Brett Adams, who later died from severe brain injuries.

Gray suffered broken bones and a punctured lung. A second passenger, Savannah Hill, was treated for minor injuries and released.

Schauf's Miata also went into the ditch, where it caught fire. Two passing motorists pulled her from the vehicle.

The jury of six men and six women heard testimony from eyewitnesses, accident reconstruction experts, medical experts and Schauf herself during the trial, which started March 21.

The jury had to weigh conflicting testimony about how much Schauf had to drink that night, whether Schauf's combative behavior after the crash was due to drunkenness or a head injury, and whether the pickup put on its brakes before she rammed into it.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com