He drove his car into a home 7 months ago; Kennewick drunk driver sentenced to jail time

A father struggled with his emotions recently as he talked about how difficult it’s been putting his life back together since a car drove through his Kennewick home.

Aaron Myers was asleep on the couch when a Subaru WRX plowed into his living room just after midnight July 1.

Myers suffered a broken bone in his leg and cuts on his head and chest. He still has a visible scar on his head.

His 8-year-old son miraculously was not hurt. The car stopped against an interior wall, with the boy’s bed on the other side.

Jarrod S. Mendenhall had been drinking at a casino and was nearly three times the legal limit to drive, but it didn’t stop him from getting behind the wheel. He told police he lost control of his Subaru because his foot caught on the clutch.

Now, the 27-year-old will spend nine months in county jail after pleading guilty to felony vehicular assault while driving under the influence.

His blood-alcohol level at the time was 0.21, according to court documents.

“I want to say that I am by no means perfect, and I don’t claim to be,” a nervous Myers said during Mendenhall’s sentencing in Benton County Superior Court. “But never have my decisions … they’ve never endangered a person’s life.”

“This has been one of the hardest six months of my life since the accident,” he added. The widower said while he lost his home of 10 years, it was the only home his son has ever known.

They were forced to move out since the crash left gaping holes in the front and back walls of the West Fourth Avenue duplex, and they couldn’t get approved for public assistance because of Myers’ background, he said. On top of that, Mendenhall’s insurance policy “is not even going to cover half of what I lost,” said Myers.

A GoFundMe account set up for Myers has raised $1,870 of its $3,000 goal.

“I really hope that this is a wake-up call for you,” Myers said, facing Mendenhall. “I really hope that you take the steps you need to get your life back on track, and understand that your actions do have consequences.”

Mendenhall admitted to having a beer at Coyote Bob’s Roadhouse Casino.

Two eyewitnesses said his Subaru had been traveling south on South Conway Place at estimated speeds of 60 to 70 mph when he drove through a stop sign at a T-intersection, court documents said. The car went through a cinder block wall and pushed furniture and appliances in its path.

Other motorists on the road at the same time told police the Subarua had cut them off before the crash.

Mendenhall reportedly was very relaxed when officers found him in the driver’s seat of his car. He had alcohol on his breath and watery eyes, documents said.

At sentencing, Mendenhall said he has not had “a sip of alcohol” since the crash and he doesn’t intend to.

“The amount of guilt and shame that I feel for what I did is indescribable, and it’s something I will have to live with for the rest of my life,” he said. “It was selfish and there was no excuse for it.”

Mendenhall apologized to Myers and his son for the physical, mental and emotional wounds he caused, to his family for their pain and stress from his actions, and to anyone else affected by the destroyed property.

“I just hope that one day (Myers) can find it in his heart to forgive me because I really am sorry for what I did,” he said. “I plan on using what happened to me as a platform … advocating against drinking and driving. I have changed my life since this happened.”

Mendenhall faced between six months and one year in jail, with a 2013 DUI conviction in Georgia already on his record.

Benton County Judge Alex Ekstrom went along with the recommended nine-month term, saying Mendenhall can do the time on work release if he is eligible.

Mendenhall is employed as a journeyman steamfitter, said his attorney, Eric Eisinger of Richland.

Ekstrom also ordered Mendenhall to undergo an evaluation for substance abuse and follow the recommended treatment.

“We hear many of these cases where the worst has happened and, in those cases, the victim’s family lose their loved one,” Ekstrom said. “And the person who does it ... their family is destroyed in another way.”

“I hope that when the victim spoke, that you listened carefully to some of the damage that’s caused, that’s financial, that cannot be repaired,” he added. “Your insurance doesn’t cover the cost of those things. Those are things that have been built up and that the victim may never be able to recover.”

The judge said Mendenhall also needs to recognize the fear he’s caused this family will never go away.

“If something happens in your home, you never truly feel safe in your home again,” said Ekstrom. “Here you are profoundly fortunate that your selfish acts didn’t take more from others, and that is the only good news in this case.”

Mendenhall has until Jan. 30 to report to the Benton County jail.

A restitution hearing has been set for Feb. 21.

Mendenhall agreed to pay $1,000 to the duplex owner and $950 to the Washington state Crime Victims Compensation program for helping Myers, court documents show.

What’s in dispute is more than $58,000 to an insurance company, according to documents. Deputy Prosecutor Diana Ruff said that amount may be resolved between the defense and the company before the hearing.

This story was originally published January 20, 2018 at 4:54 PM with the headline "He drove his car into a home 7 months ago; Kennewick drunk driver sentenced to jail time."