A Boise woman died in October after being hit by a car. A Meridian man was just charged
A 28-year-old Meridian man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 54-year-old Boise woman last fall.
Korena Baker was walking along Vallejo Road on Sept. 29 when she was struck by a car driven by Cole Clucas, who lost control of the vehicle, police said. According to previous Idaho Statesman reporting, Baker “was thrown into the ground and into a nearby fence.”
The woman was transported to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise but died on Oct. 5 as a result of blunt force injuries, the coroner’s report said.
Along with felony vehicular manslaughter, Clucas was also charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and having an open container, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.
Clucas registered a blood alcohol content of .178 — over double the legal limit of .08 — after deputies took him to jail and got a court order for a blood draw. Deputies said they also found an open bottle of vodka in his vehicle, according to the news release.
Ada County prosecutors issued a warrant for Clucas on Thursday and he was arrested later that day, the release said. Clucas has since posted a $150,000 bond and been released from jail, and his initial court hearing is set for Monday.
The charge of vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence in Idaho is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a maximum of $15,000 in fines.
Family members held a memorial service for Baker on Oct. 9, just four days after she died in the hospital.
“This couldn’t have happened to a better person,” her mother, Susan Burns, said at what was called a celebration of life. “It’s just almost impossible to wrap my mind around it still.”
