VERNAL — The woman who hit and killed Uintah High School softball coach Claye Robb in 2008 has been sentenced to jail after violating her probation for the second time.
The latest violation for Aimee Jo Rowell was a positive drug test for methamphetamine, according to a sworn statement from her probation officer.
Rowell, 26, was arrested Aug. 3 on a warrant for other alleged probation violations and booked into the Uintah County Jail. At the jail, she was asked to submit to a drug test. The test returned a positive result for methamphetamine, court records state.
"The defendant denies using any illegal drugs," the probation officer wrote. "This raises serious concern due to the fact that this defendant is presently six months pregnant."
The officer added that he believes Rowell has a "serious drug addiction" and is "unwilling to either seek assistance or make any attempts to clean up."
"It's apparent that if there is no intervention at this point, the (unborn) child will have no chance," the officer wrote, adding that "incarceration is requested to assure that Ms. Rowell remains drug free."
Eighth District Judge A. Lynn Payne appeared to agree with that assessment during a hearing Tuesday to address the alleged probation violations. After Rowell admitted to testing positive for meth, and to failing to take random drug tests or report to her probation officer, Payne ordered that she be jailed until her baby is born.
"This baby is worth the 90 days you'll do in jail," the judge told an emotional Rowell, who repeatedly looked back at her mother and father in the courtroom gallery with pleading eyes.
"We're here today because you killed someone," Payne continued.
"I don't want you to take another life," he said, referring to Rowell's unborn child.
Rowell was driving a pickup truck on Nov. 21 when she hit Robb from behind and then struck a power pole. The 48-year-old financial planner and coach of the Ute softball team died at the scene.
Rowell was ultimately charged with negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor, after reconstruction experts determined she was driving 45 mph when she struck Robb. The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph.
Robb was walking about four feet off the road when he was hit, according to the evidence.
Rowell pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2009 and was given a suspended term of one year in jail, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and serve two years on court-supervised probation. However, court records show that she pleaded guilty in October 2009 in Vernal Justice Court to a disorderly conduct charge and was referred to Tri-County Probation for supervision.
In addition to the jail term, Payne terminated and then restarted Rowell's probation for another three years.
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