A 35-year-old Coupeville woman has been charged in connection with a three-car collision in Freeland Jan. 22 that killed Karen Gervais-Boone, a well-known advocate for Coupeville schools.

Prosecutors charged Randi Shelton in Island County Superior Court Feb. 5 with vehicular homicide.

Shelton’s blood-alcohol content was measured at nearly three times the legal limit after the crash, according to court documents.

Shelton’s arraignment, scheduled for Feb. 20, was continued two weeks in order to allow Shelton time to recuperate from surgery. She suffered extensive injuries in the collision, including an open ankle fracture and internal injuries, according to court records.

If convicted, Shelton could face from four years and seven months to five years and five months in prison under the standard sentencing range. That includes a two-year sentence enhancement for a prior DUI conviction.

Det. Jeffrey Rhue with the Washington State Patrol investigated the crash on Highway 525, about a mile north of Freeland.

Rhue wrote that Shelton was driving southbound in a 2004 Dodge Durango, crossed the center line and sideswiped a 1989 Dodge van driven by 50-year-old Dale Studeman of Puyallup. Studeman was not injured.

Shelton’s vehicle continued southbound and crossed the centerline again. This time Shelton struck Gervais-Boone’s 2005 Toyota van head-on, according to Rhue.

Gervais-Boone, a 47-year-old mother of two, died at the scene. Shelton was transported to Whidbey General Hospital and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Rhue wrote that Shelton told a trooper that she had two drinks, but the trooper saw a bottle of vodka and Kahlua in her vehicle. The detective wrote that he hasn’t yet received toxicology results on Shelton from the state crime lab, but Whidbey General Hospital records indicate that Shelton had a blood-ethanol level of 0.30. The legal limit for drivers is 0.08.

Gervais-Boone lived in Greenbank with her husband, Dr. John Boone, and their two children, who now attend South Whidbey schools. She had a doctorate degree in psychology and worked as a personal coach and interpersonal business relations / team building specialist.

Gervais-Boone was well-known in Coupeville as a school advocate, particularly for helping to lead the successful bond effort for a new high school.