Rathdrum man sentenced for killing 19-year-old cousin in DUI crash

A 34-year-old Rathdrum man will spend at least two years in prison for killing his 19-year-old cousin in a car crash last summer.

Emil C. Joe pleaded guilty in February to vehicular manslaughter in the death of Jalen Walters.

Joe was trying to pass a tractor traveling in front of him the morning of July 27 on Meyer Road near Rathdrum, according to a Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office news release. The driver of the tractor had its hazard lights on, was slowing down and turning when the two vehicles collided.

Walters, who was one of two passengers in the Express van, was sitting on a bucket between the two front seats not wearing a seat belt, prosecutors said.

Joe’s blood alcohol content was 0.20, above the 0.08 legal limit.

District Judge Barry McHugh sentenced Joe April 29 to 10 years in prison with parole eligibility after two years.