Drunken driver gets 15 years of probation, no prison time for crash that killed woman

Ada County District Judge Deborah Bail sentenced Adam Paulson to 15 years of probation and imposed other penalties after a jury convicted him of felony vehicular manslaughter for killing a 24-year-old woman in Eagle in 2017.

Paulson, 42, was given a 15-year suspended sentence and ordered to serve 14 months in jail, with credit for time served, according to a news release from the court. He had been in the Ada County Jail since the November 2017 crash.

Paulson must complete 500 hours of community service and his driver’s license will be suspended indefinitely, according to court records. He also must pay child support for each of the victim’s children until they reach adulthood, and he is forbidden from drinking alcohol and must wear an alcohol monitor.

Should he violate the circumstances of his probation, Paulson could be sent to prison to serve his sentence.

The judge also mandated that Paulson reside in a sober living facility upon his release from jail.

“The state requested a prison sentence of 15 years that would have required Paulson to serve at least five of those before being eligible for parole,” the news release said.

Jurors convicted Paulson in November in the death of Madeline Duskey near the intersection of Eagle Road and Riverside Drive on Nov. 18, 2017. Paulson was driving his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado pickup with a blood alcohol content of .213 when he hit Duskey, who was crossing Eagle Road.

During the trial, testimony showed that Paulson was driving 53 mph in a 40 mph zone.

This story was originally published January 15, 2019 at 5:58 PM.