PORT ANGELES — A woman accused of killing Ellen J. DeBondt of Crescent Beach on March 6 while driving three times over the legal alcohol limit will wait at least two weeks to find out whether she will be tried in Clallam County.
Superior Court Judge George L. Wood on Thursday rescheduled arguments on a motion for a change of venue and a motion to sever the charges against Amber D. Steim, 24, of Port Angeles.
Steim was charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol and witness tampering after a head-on wreck that instantly killed DeBondt, a 44-year-old nurse and outdoorswoman, on state Highway 112.
Judge Wood on Thursday ordered DNA testing to be renewed on a blood sample taken from Steim shortly after the 7:54 a.m. wreck just east of Joyce.
Prosecutors allege that Steim had a blood alcohol level of 0.239 percent when the pickup truck she was driving crossed the centerline and struck DeBondt’s pickup.
The legal limit in Washington is 0.08 percent.
Steim and her passenger, Nicole Boucher, had minor injuries.
In the witness-tampering charge, Steim is accused of contacting Boucher to fabricate an excuse involving alcohol.
Steim is free on $100,000 bond.
Port Angeles defense attorneys Ralph Anderson and William Payne filed a motion for a change of venue April 5.
The 89-page document cites the standing-room-only crowds at Steim’s various court hearings and extensive coverage in the local press.
The defense filed a motion to sever the witness tampering charge from the vehicular homicide case April 20.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg filed a response to the motion to sever counts July 1 and a response to the motion for change of venue Tuesday.
In a three-minute hearing Thursday, the defense said it needed more time to review the state’s arguments, Troberg said.
A Superior Court judge will hear arguments on the motions July 21 at 9 a.m. The judge may or may not make a ruling that day.
A one-week trial is set for Sept. 12.
If Steim is convicted of vehicular homicide, she faces a sentence of between 31 and 41 months in prison and a $50,000 fine.
The Class A felony carries a sentence of up to life in prison, but since Steim has a low-offender score, the sentence limit is 41 months, Troberg has said.
The witness-tampering charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com
