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- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 29 Aug 2007.
Off-duty Pigeon Forge police officer hurt in hit-run collision
News Sentinel Staff
Originally published 11:43 a.m., August 29, 2007
Updated 11:43 a.m., August 29, 2007
SEVIERVILLE — An off-duty Pigeon Forge police officer was critically injured this morning when his motorcycle collided with a Cadillac Escalade, which then left the scene.
Lt. Steve Helton was riding north on the Parkway about 12:15 a.m. when the Escalade turned from Collier Drive onto the Parkway, according to Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke.
The two vehicles collided in the intersection, according to Sevierville police officer Preston Parrish.
The Escalade apparently left the accident scene but was recovered a short time later at a residence in Sevier County, according to a Stahlke statement.
Authorities are attempting to ascertain the identity of the Escalade driver.
Helton was taken by Lifestar air ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
The Sevierville Police Department is asking that anyone who may have witnessed the accident to call, 865-453-5506.
More details as they develop online and in Thursday’s News Sentinel.
- [S51] The Seymour Herald, (www.smokymountainherald.com), 29 Aug 2007.
hit & run in sevierville
A Cadillac Escalade was involved in a hit and run wreck this morning around 12:15 A.M. with a motorcycle.
The driver of the motorcycle was injured in wreck in Sevierville across from Walmart on the Parkway early this morning.
Steve Helton, a Lieutenant with the Pigeon Forge Police Department was traveling northbound on Parkway on his motorcycle when a Cadillac Escalade entered the parkway from Collier Drive and struck Helton, according to Bob Stahlke, information officer of the Sevierville Police Department.
Helton was air lifted via LifeStar to the UT Hospital in critical condition.
Jack Baldwin, Chief of the Pigeon Forge Police Department said, "Steve is an enthusiastic, energetic individual and always positive and added a lot to the police department and he strives to do what's right always in a positive and professional way. We wish him a speedy recovery."
Helton was responsible for the third shift, however he was not on duty at the time of the wreck. He has been with the PFP since 1987.
According to Stahlke, the Cadillac Escalade has been located. Where or who the driver was is not yet available. "The Cadillac Escalade was a local vehicle and it was located in Sevier County," Stahlke told The Seymour Herald.
Acting on warrants obtained by the Sevierville Police Department (SPD), officers with the Pigeon Forge Police Department (PFPD) arrested 36-year old William G. Soller of Pigeon Forge this evening in connection with a hit and run accident
SPD Detective Kevin Bush and SPD Officer Ray Brown charged Soller with vehicular assault, driving on a revoked license and leaving the scene of a traffic crash. All three charges are felonies. Authorities allege that Soller left the scene of an accident that involved off-duty PFPD Lt. Steve Helton. Lt. Helton was seriously injured in the accident.
Authorities had already recovered a blood sample from Soller, after discovering the black Cadillac Escalade believed to be involved in the accident at his residence early this morning.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 1 Sep 2007.
Accident suspect has DUI past
By: DEREK HODGES, Staff Writer
September 01, 2007
Pigeon Forge Police Lt. Steve Helton remained in critical condition Thursday at University of Tennessee Medical Center. Meanwhile more was learned about the driving record of the man charged with the accident that sent him there.
William G. Soller Jr., 35, of 1052 Scenic Hills Road in Pigeon Forge, has been arrested by Sevierville police officers in connection with the 12:15 a.m. Wednesday accident. He works at Bluegreen, the arrest report says. He faces felony charges of driving while his license is revoked, leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular assault.
Soller, who is being held without bond in the Sevier County Jail, has twice been convicted on DUI charges and faces another DUI charge that is pending in General Sessions Court. Additionally, a Sevier County General Sessions Court clerk said Soller also faces a charge of driving on a revoked license from a previous incident.
Soller is scheduled to face those charges, as well as the ones from the latest arrest, on Sept. 28.
Soller's criminal record is apparently not confined to Sevier County. Knox County Sheriff's Department documents show Soller was arrested there on July 22, 2004. On that date he was charged with driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law and assault. He was placed on probation and was charged on March 1 this year with violating that probation.
Soller is not facing DUI charges in connection with Wednesday's accident, in which he apparently turned from Collier Drive onto the Parkway in front of Helton's motorcycle, then left the scene. However, the arrest report signed by Detective Kevin Bush, one of the arresting officers, says, "Investigators smelled alcoholic beverage on Soller's person during a brief interview following the crash."
Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke said authorities obtained a blood sample from Soller when they first located the car involved in the incident - Soller's Cadillac Escalade. Stahlke said that is standard procedure for all serious car accidents and would not say whether officers suspect Soller may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Helton, who has been with the Pigeon Forge Police Department for nearly 20 years and oversees the night shift, was off-duty driving his personal motorcycle at the time of the accident. He was airlifted to the hospital where he has received treatment for lacerations on his face and is being monitored for brain swelling. He has not undergone surgery as previously reported, family members say.
Helton is married to Lisa Helton and has two sons, Beau and Taylor. He oversees the night shift at the police department and is very active in the community. He has served on the United Way of Sevier County Board of Directors for several years and chaired that body last year.
It is unlikely Helton will face charges in the incident, Stahlke said.
Helton's mother, who suffered a heart attack Wednesday while visiting her son, has been released from the hospital, a University of Tennessee Medical Center spokesperson said.
The Sevierville Police Department has received several calls from people with information on the accident, Stahlke said.
"We have some information that has helped us," he said. "Some of the information we received was part of us obtaining the warrants."
Stahlke asked for anyone with information on the accident to call 453-5506.
* dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 1 Sep 2007.
Accident suspect has DUI past
By: DEREK HODGES, Staff Writer
September 01, 2007
Pigeon Forge Police Lt. Steve Helton remained in critical condition Thursday at University of Tennessee Medical Center. Meanwhile more was learned about the driving record of the man charged with the accident that sent him there.
William G. Soller Jr., 35, of 1052 Scenic Hills Road in Pigeon Forge, has been arrested by Sevierville police officers in connection with the 12:15 a.m. Wednesday accident. He works at Bluegreen, the arrest report says. He faces felony charges of driving while his license is revoked, leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular assault.
Soller, who is being held without bond in the Sevier County Jail, has twice been convicted on DUI charges and faces another DUI charge that is pending in General Sessions Court. Additionally, a Sevier County General Sessions Court clerk said Soller also faces a charge of driving on a revoked license from a previous incident.
Soller is scheduled to face those charges, as well as the ones from the latest arrest, on Sept. 28.
Soller's criminal record is apparently not confined to Sevier County. Knox County Sheriff's Department documents show Soller was arrested there on July 22, 2004. On that date he was charged with driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law and assault. He was placed on probation and was charged on March 1 this year with violating that probation.
Soller is not facing DUI charges in connection with Wednesday's accident, in which he apparently turned from Collier Drive onto the Parkway in front of Helton's motorcycle, then left the scene. However, the arrest report signed by Detective Kevin Bush, one of the arresting officers, says, "Investigators smelled alcoholic beverage on Soller's person during a brief interview following the crash."
Sevierville Police Department spokesman Bob Stahlke said authorities obtained a blood sample from Soller when they first located the car involved in the incident - Soller's Cadillac Escalade. Stahlke said that is standard procedure for all serious car accidents and would not say whether officers suspect Soller may have been intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Helton, who has been with the Pigeon Forge Police Department for nearly 20 years and oversees the night shift, was off-duty driving his personal motorcycle at the time of the accident. He was airlifted to the hospital where he has received treatment for lacerations on his face and is being monitored for brain swelling. He has not undergone surgery as previously reported, family members say.
Helton is married to Lisa Helton and has two sons, Beau and Taylor. He oversees the night shift at the police department and is very active in the community. He has served on the United Way of Sevier County Board of Directors for several years and chaired that body last year.
It is unlikely Helton will face charges in the incident, Stahlke said.
Helton's mother, who suffered a heart attack Wednesday while visiting her son, has been released from the hospital, a University of Tennessee Medical Center spokesperson said.
The Sevierville Police Department has received several calls from people with information on the accident, Stahlke said.
"We have some information that has helped us," he said. "Some of the information we received was part of us obtaining the warrants."
Stahlke asked for anyone with information on the accident to call 453-5506.
* dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 6 Sep 2007.
Friends, neighbors lend hand with Helton's mounting medical bills
By: DEREK HODGES, Staff Writer
September 06, 2007
Those who attend the Sevier County Fair this week will have an opportunity to help out a neighbor in need.
Some local folks have begun a fund to help pay for medical costs as Pigeon Forge Police Department Lt. Steve Helton remains in critical condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The group has set up a booth at the fair to collect donations and well-wishes for Helton and his family.
Helton was injured in an early morning hit-and-run accident on the Parkway in Sevierville early last Wednesday. Since being airlifted to the hospital, Helton has remained in a medically-induced coma, though doctors are reportedly considering taking him out of it.
With considerable medication and constant brain monitoring, Helton's medical bills have no doubt already reached astronomical levels. With that in mind, some friends of the Helton family have begun an effort to raise money to help with those fees.
An account has been set up at Citizens National Bank in the family's name that will be used to help offset medical costs. Those who want more information on that account can all the bank at 453-9031.
Additionally, organizers are planning a benefit motorcycle ride in the coming weeks, though they are still working out when and where the event will happen.
The ride seems an appropriate way to help Helton, who himself took part in a number of such events. Helton was riding his motorcycle when he had the wreck, which left him with a fractured skull and some swelling on his brain despite the fact that he was wearing a helmet.
Helton's mother, Bonnie Kate Kelley, is reportedly in stable condition this week after suffering a heart attack while visiting her son at the hospital last Wednesday morning.
* dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 8 Sep 2007.
Prayers for Helton urged by old friend
September 08, 2007
Editor:
By now most of the community has heard of the terrible accident involving Pigeon Forge Police Lt. Steve Helton.
Having graduated from Sevier County High School with Steve in 1984, I've watched his career in law enforcement from its beginning to his near-20 years with the Pigeon Forge Police Department.
Steve is a dedicated policeman, a good father, a caring husband to his wife and dedicated to his community by serving with the local United Way.
Steve has given quite a bit of himself to our community and served it well. I would like to ask at this time for everyone out there to pray for Steve, his mom and his family.
We wish you a full recovery my dear friend, and may God continue to watch over you and your family.
Jeffrey S. Saas
Sevierville
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 10 Sep 2007.
Offers pour in to aid lieutenant's recovery
By Matt Lakin (Contact)
Monday, September 10, 2007
SEVIERVILLE — Steve Helton’s friends say he never hesitated to help someone in need.
“He’s just a very giving guy,” said Roy Marshall, president of the United Way of Sevier County.
“Whenever there’s an opportunity to help some other folks, he sees a need and takes the action to fill that need.”
The Pigeon Forge Police Department lieutenant has served as a board member and president of the local United Way, taken part in such efforts as Toys for Tots and the March of Dimes, and organized fundraisers to help sick or injured friends and strangers during the past 20 years.
“I don’t think there’s enough good things that you can say about Steve,” said Sandi DeKoning, a friend. “He’s always been so gracious about organizing motorcycle rides and other events to raise money for people. We figure now it’s his turn.”
Offers of help and support for Helton and his family have poured in since the wreck that hospitalized him Aug. 29. Friends estimate that more than 150 visitors showed up at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on his first night there.
Cards, letters, flowers, phone calls and e-mails have come from people around the country, said Helton’s father-in-law, Mark Hinds.
“We’ve heard from people from Miami to Seattle,” he said. “I had no idea my son-in-law was this well-known.”
The family’s still waiting to learn when Helton, who’s spent the past two weeks in a medically induced coma, might recover and be able to return to work.
“The best-case scenario is that he’d be in the hospital about six to eight weeks,” Hinds said. “And the medical bills will keep piling up.”
Residents from around Sevier County have joined to raise money to help pay those bills.
The Dixie Stampede dinner theater plans to raise money for Helton at its show Thursday. Businesses have set out jars to collect donations. Friends set up a booth at the county fair last week.
“We had a couple of people who walked into the police department the other day and brought some money,” Pigeon Forge Police Chief Jack Baldwin said. “They just said, ‘Here, take this and give it to the family.’ ”
The Memories Theater in Pigeon Forge plans to hold a benefit concert 3 p.m. Sept. 23. Hinds, a Kenny Rogers impersonator, plans to perform, as do various entertainers from around Sevier County. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for children and can be ordered by calling 865-428-7852.
“The theater will seat about 800 people, and we’d love to fill it,” Hinds said.
Fellow motorcycle riders are organizing a benefit ride for Oct. 13. Cost is $25 per bike and $10 per additional rider.
“Everybody’s just been pulling together on this,” said DeKoning, the organizer.
Helton’s wife, Lisa, said she’s been amazed at the response.
“I’m totally speechless,” she said. “I can hardly wait for Steve to wake up so I can tell him.”
Matt Lakin may be reached at 865-342-6306.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 13 Oct 2007.
Community invited to benefit for Helton
By: DEREK HODGES, Staff Writer
October 13, 2007
Friends of Pigeon Forge Lt. Steve Helton know there are few things Helton loves more than riding his motorcycle. He's been part of countless rides benefiting everything from Toys for Tots to United Way. Helton was even riding his motorcycle the night he was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left him in critical condition.
That's why a group of local folks decided it would only be appropriate to turn the tables and hold a benefit ride for the man who has used his bike to do so much for so many others. The ride, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson in Maryville, is expected to draw as many as 1,500 bikes.
"Steve has been a good friend of mine going on four years now and we've done a lot of riding together, including a lot of benefit rides," event organizer Steve Dekoning said. "This ride we're planning has turned out to be one huge affair. The community has really come together because everyone wants to say, 'Thank you,' to someone who has helped so many people."
The ride will end with a celebration at Dick Clark's American Bandstand. The party, which will be open to both riders and non-riders, will include live entertainment, food and drink, a silent auction, and door prizes.
"You do not have to be a motorcyclist to enjoy this," Dekoning said. "We have thousands of dollars in items donated for the silent auction and the door prizes, and Dick Clark's American Bandstand is donating the food and drink. Of course, all the proceeds will go to help pay for Steve's medical bills."
Those medical bills have been mounting since Helton was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in late August after a wreck on the Parkway in Sevierville. It seems Helton, who was kept in a medically-induced coma for the first few weeks he was in the hospital, is turning the corner in his recovery. Dekoning reports Helton has been responding to friends and family, and even began speaking Thursday.
"From everything we're hearing, he's doing much better," Dekoning said.
Those who want to participate in the event at Dick Clark's American Bandstand should expect the activities to start in the early afternoon. Those who want to be part of the ride can register at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson beginning at 10:30 a.m. There is a $20 registration fee.
For more information on Saturday's events, call 323-9069.
* dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 7 Jul 2008.
Jury didn't hear some of the evidence in Soller trial
SEVIERVILLE -The jury that decided the fate of William G. Soller never heard the result of blood alcohol tests on him or the off duty police officer he struck.
The panel of seven women and five men heard two days of testimony on the Aug. 29 accident that nearly killed Lt. Steve Helton of the Pigeon Forge Police Department and left Soller in the Sevier County Jail ever since.
They heard lots of testimony about both men allegedly drinking before the 12:15 a.m. accident - Helton at the Smoky Mountain Brewery in Pigeon Forge and Soller at the Roaming Gnome pub at Governor's Crossing, less than a mile from where the accident took place. They ultimately weighed that evidence and testimony by police officers that Soller appeared drunk a short time later at his home, to convict him of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
But Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood had previously excluded the test on Soller because the sample wasn't taken until more than two hours after the accident. Under state law, only tests taken within two hours of an accident are admissible for the prosecution. The Legislature has modified that time limit, but the new law has not taken effect.
Police found Soller at his home a short time after the accident. He declined to take give a sample voluntarily at that time, and they did not collect one until almost 4 a.m., nearly four hours after the accident. His BAC at that time was .09, which is still over the legal limit of .08.
Heltons' wasn't drawn until 7 a.m. that morning; at that time he registered .05 on the test.
Blackwood had reserved the right to rule on whether those results would be admissible, and Thursday he said they would not be.
During a hearing without the jury present, it was revealed that the defense had found an expert who could testify that Helton's BAC at the time of the accident would have been .155 - almost twice the legal level of intoxication.
But Blackwood noted the defense gave up the right to use that witness, or refer to the blood sample, when it decided not to allow a continuance in the case. The defense did not bring the expert forward until a few days ago, and prosecutors convinced the judge that didn't leave them enough time to find an expert of their own and let that person review the evidence.
"The problem ultimately is that testimony was revealed to the state only two or three days prior to the trial and they didn't have the opportunity to find an expert to counter that testimony or affirm it," Blackwood said.
They left it up to Soller whether to postpone the trail so that the prosecution could find an expert witness, or to go ahead with it this week without his expert witness, Blackwood said, and he chose the trial.
Throughout the trial, the defense questioned whether any officers had investigated Heltons' activities the night of the wreck. If they did, none of them said so, and defense attorneys and Soller's family questioning whether the same standard was applied to Helton.
William G. Soller Sr. was incensed that, during closing arguments, prosecutor Steve Hawkins said Helton did nothing wrong the night of the wreck other than speed.
"For the prosecutor to stand there and say he did nothing wrong ... I think for him to say that, he's a pig," he said.
Witnesses at the scene said that Helton appeared to be doing about 45 mph as he approached the intersection of Collier Drive and the Parkway, where the wreck occurred. An accident reconstructionist for the Sevierville Police Department said it appeared that was correct, although he had slowed to 38 mph at the time of the impact.
The eyewitness who watched the wreck play out said that Helton appeared to move to the left lane as Soller turned right from Collier Drive, but the two collided when Soller crossed into Helton's lane.
While employees at the brewery said that Helton had been there with friends twice the night of the accident and had been drinking shortly before he left, another witness produced by the prosecution said that he'd been talking to her at a nearby convenience store much of that time.
A receipt from the brewery shows that Helton paid a tab of about $50 in food and drinks for himself and some other people just a few minutes after the woman said he left the store, and just a few minutes before the accident. The woman from the convenience store said Helton paid cash for a soft drink he consumed while he was there.
The jury also never head about Soller's criminal record, which includes prior convictions for DUI - although officers were allowed to say that they had seen him intoxicated on previous occasions, and they were familiar with the vehicle he was driving and where he lived.
n jfarrell@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 3 Sep 2008.
Soller gets five years for Helton wreck
By JEFF FARRELL
jfarrell@themountainpress.com
William Soller Jr.will serve five years for the wreck the left a Pigeon Forge Police Officer in a coma for weeks.
SEVIERVILLE - William Soller Jr. will serve five years for the wreck that left Pigeon Forge Police Officer Steve Helton in a coma for weeks.
Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood sentenced Soller Tuesday afternoon after listening to more than an hour of arguments in his sentencing hearing.
A jury convicted Soller in July on charges of reckless aggravated assault, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, a fourth count of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Blackwood sentenced him to five years for reckless aggravated assault, which he combined with the reckless endangerment charge. His other sentences related to that charge will be served concurrently.
He sentenced Soller as a Range II, or "multiple," offender, based on a record that includes three prior incidents involving driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence, other misdemeanors and two felony counts that occurred during the same incident. That increased the length of Soller's sentence; a Range I offender would not have faced more than four years for the conviction.
He said Soller's multiple convictions showed he was not a candidate for any alternative sentencing. "It's clear you have been unwilling to comply with the terms (of prior sentences)," he said.
Helton was present for the hearing, but did not comment to The Mountain Press.
Prosecutor Steve Hawkins successfully argued that Soller's two felony convictions should be counted separately, although they occurred during the same offense.
Soller was serving a six-year term in community corrections based on his conviction for aggravated assault and aggravated burglary. He has remained in jail ever since the Aug. 29, 2007 accident, based on that violation.
It wasn't clear Tuesday how that time will count in his sentencing. Although Blackwood said that sentence could also be served concurrently, he said the Tennessee Department of Corrections would have to decide how the past year's incarceration would be counted overall.
In the current incident, Soller was accused of hitting Helton while the veteran police officer was riding his motorcycle on the Parkway. Helton's injuries left him in a coma; it was months before he could return to his job with the police department.
Soller was found later at his home. His blood alcohol content a few hours after the accident was .09, which is over the legal limit. Jurors did not hear that evidence, however, because current law states that blood used in those tests must be drawn no more than an hour after the accident.
Witnesses said he had been drinking at a nearby bar and left just before the incident in the same sort of vehicle driven in the wreck. Other witnesses who witnessed the wreck said Soller rolled through a red light and pulled out in front of Helton, who was driving through a green light and attempted to pull around Soller after he drove onto the parkway. The witnesses said Soller drifted into the center lane as Helton tried to pass him, causing his SUV to strike Helton's motorcycle and send it hurtling across the median.
Soller's family maintains he did not get justice because of evidence that Helton was also drinking the night of the incident. During the trial, defense witnesses said he was drinking that same evening at a different bar from Soller.
"When's Helton's trial," one family member asked as they filed out of court.
His father maintained that it was Helton who should have been on trial. "They're defending a drunk cop," William Soller Sr. said.
If Helton faced trial based on evidence presented during Soller's trial, jurors would not hear evidence concerning his blood alcohol content. His blood was not drawn until several hours after the incident; at that time his blood alcohol content was .05. During the trial, his personal physician said it would be difficult to say how his body metabolized any alcohol he drank during that time because of the trauma he suffered and drugs used to treat his injuries.
While the defense provided witnesses saying Helton was drinking the night of the incident, the prosecution offered a rebuttal witness who said Helton was talking to her at a nearby store while his friends were drinking at the establishment.
Prosecution witnesses did show he was speeding at the time; he was doing 38 mph in a 35 mph zone.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 26 Jan 2011.
High court won’t hear appeal by Soller Jr.
By JEFF FARRELL
The Tennessee Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal in the vehicular assault and drunken driving cases against William G. Soller Jr.
The court ruled not to hear Soller’s appeal, which claimed Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood should have suppressed evidence used in the trial and that there was not sufficient evidence to convict him. A state appellate court had already upheld Blackwood’s decisions, but ruled that Blackwoood improperly sentenced Soller as a Range II offender. That ruling is expected to cut his sentence in half.
That would seem to be the end of the line for Soller’s appeals, defense attorney Ralph Harwell said.
“Probably,” he said. “There is one step that could be taken and that would be to ask the U.S. Supreme Court (to hear the case).” Even if it should decide to do so, the chances of the U.S. Supreme Court deciding to hear any case are slim.
With the direct appeals concluded, the case will come back to Sevier County Circuit Court, where Blackwood must issue a new sentence against Soller.
Soller was convicted of felony reckless endangerment, reckless aggravated assault and DUI for the Aug. 29, 2007, wreck that severely injured off-duty Pigeon Forge Police Lt. Steve Helton. A jury also convicted him on charges of DUI, violation of implied consent and driving on a revoked license for a Jan. 29, 2007, DUI on the Parkway near Wears Valley.
Blackwood erred in determining whether Soller was a Range I or Range II offender, according to the appellate court, by treating aggravated burglary and aggravated assault charges as though they came from separate incidents when they both stemmed from the same activity.
The appellate court decided Blackwood ruled properly in overruling a motion to suppress evidence on the Jan. 29, 2007, case and that there was sufficient evidence for the conviction. In the Aug. 29, 2007, case, it said Blackwood was within his discretion in refusing a motion to change venue, among other rulings.
Blackwood initially sentenced Soller to 9 years for the two crimes. Prosecutors have acknowledged the sentence is likely to be cut in half based on the ruling that he is a Range I offender, although that decision will be made by Blackwood.
Harwell said that if Blackwood doesn’t alter the sentencing structure other than changing Soller from a Range II to a Range I offender, Soller could be eligible for release soon. He has been incarcerated since the collision with Helton.
jfarrell@themountainpress.com
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