After two and a half weeks at OHSU in Portland, the driver in a suspected alcohol-involved fatal crash has been released from the hospital.
Kelsie Martin, 29, of Beavercreek, was transported by Life Flight helicopter in the early morning hours of Jan. 22, following a two-car collision on the Hubbard Cutoff Road (Highway 551) near Aurora State Airport that killed 33-year-old Stephanie Patricio, a longtime Portland comedian and Woodburn resident.
Martin sustained serious injuries in the crash, but her condition was upgraded to “good” last week, and she had been released from care as of Sunday, according to the OHSU media relations team.
At the time of the crash, investigators with the Oregon State Police reported that alcohol impairment on Martin’s part was believed to have been a factor. But law enforcement have declined to release further information in the subsequent weeks, citing the continuing investigation.
No warrants have been issued or new charges filed against Martin, according to online court records, and she is not listed as being in custody at the Clackamas County Jail. She does face charges of DUII, reckless driving and fourth-degree assault in an unrelated case from December 2019. The next hearing in that case is scheduled for March 2.
Reached last week, Clackamas County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owen said his office was “actively reviewing this case, but certain aspects of the OSP investigation are not complete.”
“We can’t release any additional information as it is a pending case, and we are prohibited from really getting into a lot of detail about a case when it is being considered for charges,” Owen said.
He went on to say that, generally speaking, the investigation of a vehicular crime such as this one would involve “crash reconstruction results, toxicology results, medical records and reports detailing witness statements and physical evidence collected during the course of the investigation.”
Once the police investigation is complete, the district attorney’s office would review the evidence and determine what charges, if any, they believe could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The case would then be presented to the grand jury, who would consider whether to indict (or charge) the defendant.
