La Pine man indicted on assault in crash

Published 5:00 am Monday, July 23, 2001

A La Pine Man who police say crashed his sports car in southeast Bend while driving drunk, injuring two of his passengers, has been indicted on two counts of second-degree assault.

Joji Malcolm John, 23, who is also charged with drunken and reckless driving, is slated to appear at a plea hearing July 30 in Deschutes County Circuit Court.

John’s blood-alcohol level was 0.09 0.01 over the legal limit after the wreck, according to the charging documents.

If John is convicted on just one of the assault charges, he faces a minimum of five years and eight months in prison.

John was driving north on Blakely Road about 3 a.m. June 12 when he lost control of his Nissan 300ZX, Bend Police Sgt. Ken Stenkamp said at the time. John lost control of the vehicle in a corner and left the roadway on the west side of the road. The Nissan drove back onto the roadway, spun out of control, struck a guardrail twice and finally came to rest on a bridge over a canal.

A passenger, Kristin T. Bowlsby, 18, of La Pine was transported to St. Charles Medical Center and was listed in serious condition with a spinal cord injury.

Aaron M. Johnston, 20, of Bend suffered a broken neck. Johnston said one of the vertebrae in his neck was shattered and surgeons used a splinter from his hip bone to repair it. Metal plates were put in his neck to protect the vertebrae while it heals.

The assault charges were leveled against John for the injury his reckless driving caused Bowlsby and Johnston, according to the indictment.

Bowlsby and Johnston have been released from St. Charles, according to hospital officials.

Esaui J. Mutchler, 20, of Bend was also a passenger in the vehicle but was not injured. John was treated and released for cuts and bruises at St. Charles.

Both Bowlsby and Johnston were not wearing seat belts, according to police reports.

John was arrested and held at the Deschutes County Jail on June 12 and was released two days later after posting $5,000 bail.