A former Ketchum resident has been ordered to serve 45 days in jail and complete outpatient treatment for alcohol abuse and three years of supervised probation following his third DUI conviction within 10 years.
At a sentencing hearing in Fifth District Court on Monday, April 10, Judge Ned Williamson sentenced 54-year-old Shard A. Stober, of Clackamas, Oregon, to five years in prison with three years fixed before he will be eligible for release. Williamson suspended that prison term and instead placed Stober on three years of probation with a requirement to attend an outpatient substance abuse treatment program in Portland.
Stober began serving his county jail term on April 12 and will have his license suspended for one year following his release this month, per Williamson’s ruling. He will regain restricted driving privileges after the suspension expires but must install an ignition interlock system on any motor vehicles he operates. Williamson also ordered Stober to pay a $5,000 fine with $3,000 suspended, $290 in court costs and $100 in DNA analysis reimbursement costs. He further ordered 60 days of discretionary jail time for any probation violations.
Stober’s most recent offense was considered a felony because he has two misdemeanor DUI convictions in Blaine County in the past 10 years, one in 2019 and another in 2018.
According to a probable-cause for arrest affidavit from Blaine County Sheriff’s Deputy Jordan Kranz, Kranz was patrolling state Highway 75 just after 6 p.m. on March 21, 2022, when he observed a gold Honda Accord on the side of the roadway with “moderate front-end damage.” Kranz also noted a metal post nearby that had been “bent over” in the crash.
After speaking with Stober, Kranz said he realized that he had assisted the same driver about 30 minutes prior near the Elkhorn stoplight after Stober rear-ended a vehicle. Kranz stated in the affidavit that he suspected Stober of DUI based on the driver’s “glassy eyes” and “off-balance” gait. Stober agreed to provide two breathalyzer samples at the Blaine County Jail, which showed blood-alcohol levels of approximately 0.120 and 0.119, Kranz wrote.
On Jan. 19, Stober entered an Alford plea through his attorney, Joshua Stanek, claiming that he was not over the legal limit at the time of the accidents. An Alford plea is defined as a plea that states that the defendant maintains his or her innocence but, fearing more severe penalties if convicted, enters a plea of guilty.
Stober maintained his innocence at his sentencing in Fifth District Court on April 1, telling Judge Ned Williamson that he had crashed “minutes” after he consumed a drink and that he was “not intoxicated” at the time. He also claimed that he submitted breath samples over an hour after the incidents, giving his BAC time to rise.
Stanek requested a blended sentence with community service and no more than 30 days of county jail, telling the court that his client was seeking treatment and had the opportunity to work for a local catering company. He requested a lesser fine of $5,000 with $4,000 suspended, work-release privileges if Stober’s catering gig worked out, and a withheld judgment.
County Prosecutor Stacie Summerhill argued against a withheld judgment, finding that ruling inappropriate given Stober’s criminal history and what she considered a “record of volatile behavior.” Williamson generally sided with Summerhill and said that Stober’s explanation had amounted to “excuses.” The judge ultimately denied Stanek’s request for a withheld judgment but said he might reconsider work-release privileges if Stanek could prove that Stober was working locally. 
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