Car crash killed Idaho coach, maimed husband a year ago. Meridian man now faces charges
Last Feb. 9 was an exciting day for the Greenleaf Friends Academy girls basketball team. Led by husband and wife coaching duo Jim and Loma Bittick, the small Christian school had unexpectedly made it to the 1A Division I District Three Tournament championship game.
But the end of the night took a tragic turn.
Minutes after leaving for the game, the Bitticks’ vehicle was hit by a car after that driver failed to stop at the Lower Pleasant Ridge and Friends roads intersection in Greenleaf, according to Idaho State Police, causing both coaches to be ejected from their truck.
Loma, 65, died from her injuries. Jim, 64, was hospitalized and eventually had to have both his legs, as well as eight fingers, amputated.
Nearly a year later, criminal charges have been filed against the 28-year-old driver, Shawn Stacy, of Meridian, who allegedly ran a stop sign, causing the tragedy.
The Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office charged Stacy with two felonies, one for vehicular manslaughter and the other for being a persistent violator, meaning he has previous felony convictions on his record. Those found guilty of being persistent violators face a minimum of five years in prison.
Prosecutors were waiting to bring charges until after Idaho State Police completed a crash reconstruction, Canyon County spokesperson Joe Decker told the Idaho Statesman. They received that report on Jan. 8 and Stacy was charged 10 days later, Decker said.
Idaho State Police Trooper Michael Dyer said he observed Stacy making a phone call from the Canyon County Jail in which he admitted he “did not stop at the stop sign on Lower Pleasant Ridge Road and does not usually stop at that sign,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
Stacy’s previous felonies include burglary and possession of a controlled substance.
His criminal record also shows dozens of driving violations dating back to 2015. Stacy lost his driving privileges twice in 2015 and 2016. He most recently was found guilty of following too closely while driving on Jan. 4.
Loma was a math teacher, volleyball coach and assistant girls basketball coach at Greenleaf Friends, known for supporting her students long after they graduated.
“She knew there was a lot of potential in kids,” her son, Justin Bittick, told the Statesman. “Her biggest goal was to try to get all of that potential out of a kid and just see how well they could succeed.”
