Sunday, September 06, 2026
55.0°F

Suspected driver in fatal crash released from jail

KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 11 months AGO
by KAYE THORNBRUGH
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | October 6, 2021 1:00 AM

A judge released a man on his own recognizance Monday after a deadly crash.

Michael L. Holiman, 70, of Harrison, is charged with vehicular manslaughter, a felony.

The charge stems from Saturday night, when law enforcement responded to a single-vehicle crash in the area of Thompson Lake Road and Harlow Point Road near Harrison.

The driver, identified as Holiman, was transported to Kootenai Health with non-life-threatening injuries, as were two other passengers.

The fourth passenger, 69-year-old Harrison resident Nancy L. Holiman, reportedly died at the scene.

Witnesses said Michael Holiman was driving at the time of the crash.

Holiman allegedly told police he had consumed at least five beers at Oktoberfest in Harrison City Park.

Police obtained a warrant to draw Holiman’s blood and test it to determine his blood alcohol content.

Deputies arrested Holiman for vehicular manslaughter and booked him into jail after his discharge from the hospital.

Judge Ross Pittman ordered Monday that Holiman be released on his own recognizance, citing Holiman’s age and lack of any prior criminal record.

The purpose of bond is to ensure that defendants will appear in court.

Prosecutors had requested that Holiman be held on $50,000 bail and have his driving privileges revoked.

Idaho Criminal Rule 46 directs a court to consider certain factors when making the decision to set bond or release a person on their own recognizance, including the nature of the alleged offense, any prior criminal record, the defendant’s ties to the community where the offense occurred.

Pittman also ordered that Holiman submit to regular drug and alcohol testing and forbade him from driving.

In Idaho, vehicular manslaughter is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison.

ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH

Rural education takes center stage in North Idaho
September 5, 2026 1:06 a.m.

Rural education takes center stage in North Idaho

National Education Association leaders, nation's largest labor union, meet with local educators

National Education Association leaders, the nation's largest labor union, meet with local educators

September 4, 2026 1 a.m.

Man imprisoned for sexual exploitation of children

A man who possessed thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse received a prison sentence, according to the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

Free grief workshop Sept. 9 at Hospice of North Idaho
September 5, 2026 1 a.m.

Free grief workshop Sept. 9 at Hospice of North Idaho

Next week, Hospice of North Idaho is hosting two grief workshops with one of the top specialists in the U.S., Dr. Alan Wolfelt.