Ohio man sentenced for killing Montana resident in 2020 Spokane Valley DUI crash

Garrett Cabeza, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read
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Apr. 6—A 26-year-old Ohio man was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for a drunken-driving crash that killed 36-year-old Matthew Mischenko nearly four years ago in Spokane Valley.

Josiah Stoke, who was 22 at the time of the June 29, 2020 crash, pleaded guilty Tuesday to vehicular homicide. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fennessy then sentenced Stoke to 6 1/2 years behind bars, the low end of the standard sentence range. The high end of the range was 8 1/2 years.

Stoke was driving at about 7:40 p.m. west on Trent Avenue in a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta sedan when he struck Mischenko on the driver's side of the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck he was driving, according to court documents.

Mischenko, of Troy, Montana, entered Trent from a parking lot on the north side of the road, court records say. He was in the center turn lane and about to enter the eastbound lanes when Stoke braked, slid into the center turn lane and hit Mischenko near Butler Road.

A witness told police Stoke was driving at a high speed when he struck the truck. The truck rotated slightly and rolled to the eastbound shoulder.

"The strike to Mischenko likely immediately caused him to be unconscious and he was deposited on the ground beneath his pickup after impact, where he was again struck by the pickup's rear differential," according to the Washington State Patrol in court documents.

Mischenko died a short time later.

Stoke was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for treatment of his injuries, documents say. A WSP trooper noticed a "very distinct odor of intoxicants" on Stoke prior to his transport to the hospital. Stoke admitted to fire and ambulance personnel he had been drinking, according to documents.

An analysis of Stoke's blood showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17, above the 0.08 legal limit. THC was also detected in his blood.

Stoke had a previous DUI in Ohio and no prior felonies.

Fennessy ordered Stoke to serve 18 months of community custody when he's released from prison.