PORT ANGELES — A bail hearing for Amber Steim scheduled earlier this week was postponed to give lawyers more time to consult with a treatment provider.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Ken Williams struck the hearing on Tuesday. A new hearing date was not set.
Steim, 24, is charged with vehicular homicide and witness tampering in connection with the March 6 death of Ellen DeBondt, a 44-year-old outdoorswoman and home health nurse from Crescent Bay.
Investigators said Steim was driving nearly three times over the legal limit for alcohol when she crossed the center line on state HIghway 112 just outside of Port Angeles and struck DeBondt’s vehicle.
Steim awaits a Feb. 13 trial on $500,000 bail in the Clallam County jail.
Steim, who originally posted $100,000 bail, was remanded back to jail Dec. 14 after the alcohol monitoring device she was wearing detected alcohol in her system.
In a four-minute hearing on a motion to modify Steim’s conditions of release, defense attorney Ralph Anderson reported Tuesday that he has spoken with a substance abuse treatment provider who recommended inpatient treatment for Steim.
Anderson moved to continue the hearing to gather more information from the expert.
