PORT TOWNSEND — A 28-year-old Chimacum woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the vehicular homicide of a Port Hadlock man.
Allysia G. Bishop, of Chimacum, was sentenced to 60 months in prison on Thursday for the death of Steven J. Collier, 31, of Port Hadlock on April 17, 2020.
Vehicular homicide is a Class A felony.
Deputy Prosecutor Chris Ashcraft said that the standard sentencing range for a person with no criminal history was 78 to 102 months and requested the court sentence Bishop to 78 months, according to the press release sent by the county Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday evening.
The state requested the bottom of the range due to the trauma which Bishop suffered as a child and how it led to abuse of intoxicants leading to Collier’s death, according to the release.
Bishop’s Attorney, Nat Jacob, argued for a sentence of 36 months, well below the standard range, the release said.
Jacob argued that due to Bishop’s severe childhood trauma and the fact that Collier willingly participated in the events that led to his death, a standard range sentence was not appropriate.
Ashcraft argued that while Bishop’s childhood trauma was a mitigating factor, Bishop’s actions of driving past other vehicles at a high rate of speed while impaired did not warrant a sentence below the standard range.
Bishop expressed regret for causing Collier’s death.
In addition to the prison sentence, Superior Court Judge Keith Harper sentenced Bishop to 18 months of community custody that is to include both mental health and substance abuse treatment upon her release, according to court documents.
On April 17, 2020, Bishop joined Collier at HJ Carroll park, where both consumed cocaine and alcohol while relaxing and enjoying the weather before leaving the park, according to court documents.
Collier gave Bishop the keys to his Impala and had her drive despite the fact that Bishop did not have a driver’s license and had only driven a handful of times.
While on the road, both continued to consume cocaine and alcohol, court documents said.
Bishop eventually drove onto Center Road and headed back toward Chimacum. Bishop said that Collier was not wearing a seatbelt and that he encouraged her to drive more than 80 miles per hour, according to the release.
Witnesses reported seeing Bishop drive past them at a high rate of speed. A second set of witnesses passed by Bishop and in the rear view mirror saw Bishop “fish tail” before crashing into a ditch, the release said.
The passenger side of the car was heavily damaged and Collier was pronounced dead at the scene, court documents said.
________
Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
