LEWISTON, Maine — An Oxford woman facing manslaughter charges for the deaths of two passengers in a car she crashed in January made her first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon.
Kristina Lowe, 19, facing charges in the deaths of Rebecca Mason, 16, of West Paris and Logan Dam, 19, of Norway, appeared in 8th District Court via video from the Oxford County Jail in Paris.
Dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, her hands cuffed and her feet shackled, Lowe stood quietly beside her attorney, James Howaniec of Lewiston, as Justice Donald Alexander explained that her case would next go to an Oxford County grand jury.
The grand jury is scheduled to meet in Paris in June and is expected to present an official indictment of Lowe. Alexander, a Maine Supreme Judicial Court justice, ordered the case continued until July 3.
He said depending on how the grand jury votes, Lowe could face all, some or none of the charges filed by Maine State Police.
State police arrested Lowe on Tuesday on two counts of manslaughter, two counts of aggravated operating under the influence, two counts of aggravated driving to endanger and one count of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death. All of the charges are felonies.
A police affidavit says Lowe was driving 75 mph, had been drinking and smoking pot and was texting on her cellphone when she crashed on Route 219.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of 95 years in jail and fines of more than $100,000.
Alexander set bail at $50,000 unsecured with conditions that Lowe not have any contact with any of the state’s witnesses in the case or with any members of the victims’ families. She must not consume alcohol or drugs and is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle.
The unsecured bail means Lowe will be released but would have to pay $50,000 to the court if she missed her next court appearances.
Members of Mason’s family, including her parents, sat in the Lewiston courtroom watching the proceedings and listening to the justice’s instructions.
After Lowe’s appearance, Jerrold Mason, Rebecca Mason’s father, said he wasn’t sure he was satisfied with the bail conditions but he also said he didn’t fully understand them.
Mason spoke briefly with reporters about his daughter and his efforts to change Maine driving laws, including changing the required curriculum for driver’s education courses to include segments on distracted driving.
He said he still has many questions about the morning his daughter died.
Mason has told reporters Rebecca left the family home in the middle of the night without permission and that he and his wife learned of their daughter’s death from police in the early morning hours the next day.
Mason said his daughter was an enthusiastic ATV rider and hunter and this week was particularly difficult for his family.
“It was opening day for turkey season the other day and my son and I went out and my daughter wasn’t able to be with us; it just made it tough,” Mason said, holding back tears. “That and just seeing how distraught her mother has been, just breaks my heart.”
He described Rebecca as “a ball of joy,” a great athlete and the kind of person who was able to make friends with everybody.
He said he hopes the state will not accept a plea bargain in the case, noting that reports show Lowe made several attempts to leave an underage drinking party even after her keys were taken from her by friends concerned she was too intoxicated to drive.
“I just don’t understand: Why didn’t somebody else try to stop her?” Mason said.
He added that his family’s efforts to see Lowe prosecuted and to change state laws are aimed at preventing other families from having to endure a similar tragedy.
“If we can just help somebody else’s family from having to go through this, that is all we are hoping for,” he said.
According to police, Lowe was driving on Route 219 in West Paris on Jan. 7 when she lost control of a 2002 Subaru car while texting, vaulting into a stand of trees. Dam and Mason were killed instantly in the one-car crash.
A third passenger, Jacob Skaff, 22, of Paris suffered minor injuries. Lowe was seriously injured.
The investigation by Maine State Police troopers determined Lowe was reading and/or sending a text message on her mobile phone at the time of the crash. She had also been drinking that night and was speeding, police said.
Both Lowe and Skaff left the crash site when first responders arrived; they were later found elsewhere.
Investigators say the four were returning to an underage drinking party in West Paris.
A sworn statement filed in support of Lowe’s arrest by State Trooper Thomas Welch says Lowe’s blood-alcohol level was at 0.04 percent two hours after the crash.
That affidavit stated a blood test also showed Lowe had detectable amounts of marijuana in her system and that she admitted to police she was driving and texting at the time of the crash.
A state police accident reconstruction team also determined the vehicle Lowe was driving was traveling at about 75 mph. The speed limit on that road is 50 mph, according to the affidavit.
A release from state police Tuesday said additional charges related to the underage drinking party are pending.
I may get a few dislikes, but I feel horrible for this girl & her friends & families of all, but this girl is “FIXABLE” this girl is worth investing in, shes 19, put an ankle bracelet on her for 20yrs, prohibit any drugs or alcohol, do drug testing wkly, make her volunteer 40+ hrs a wk educating other teens about same situations, let her get an education thru college, let her work, shes 19, shes productive!!! let her give back!!! Take her license forever, not send her to prison an throw away the key, she killed 2 people at 19, she MESSED UP BAD! but…. she’s not a pedo,
I agree
I’m not going to bash you, but what leads you to believe she is FIXABLE? I haven’t read anything in any Maine paper in either Penobscot or Oxford County which leads me to believe this ADULT was as good as gold who just happened to mess up this one time.
Instead, from what I have gathered, this wasn’t a one time event for this individual, instead this seems more like a pattern of behavior for her and this was a “one time things really went bad” event for her.
There is nothing to indicate to me that “prohibiting” her from using drugs or alcohol will actually prohibit her from using those substances. How many individuals do we see, read, and hear about who are arrested time and time again for violating their “can’t use alcohol or drugs” probations?
I’m not really interested in doing drug testing weekly. For how long? Forever? At what cost? and what happens when she can’t help herself anyway, lights up or starts a drinking binge and hits the road?
I haven’t seen anything to indicate to me that she is in any way, shape, or form bright enough or motivated enough to attend/complete some sort of college/university program. In fact, I would think that given her preference for pot and alcohol at age 19, maybe a college or university is a worse place for her. And when would she find the time to do this, with her 40+ hours a week of community service…much less hold a job to pay for it?
How many people are arrested time and time again for driving with a suspended license…and usually arrested because they crashed again. There’s a reason the state takes your license: You can’t drive…yet they still do…over and over…So I don’t see taking her license away as being very effective.
She was drunk, she managed to leave a party and drive after others took her keys (yup, they should have done more), she was stoned, she was driving 25 mph over the speed limit, she was texting. I’m not interested in having my son or daughter on the road with this person running loose, which, despite all the suggestions you make, she would be doing.
You’re right…She’s not a pedo…she’s a killer…twice.
Oh my, I wish I could disagree with you but in all honesty, I can’t. I feel deeply saddened by this whole situation and hope this beautiful young lady can get some help. It’s too bad something like this has to happen before some of these young people finally get it.
I feel nothing but sympathy for everybody involved, including Kristina Lowe. I hope she can turn her life around and has the support of family and friends to help her.
What leads me to believe this, she was so very well liked, there were 4 young adults in that car, 1 girl snuck out without parents permission, drinking, smoking pot, riding with an impaired driver, the other 2 also, any1 of them could have been behind the wheel, she was, she holds the responsibility of her passengers, yes, but they should also carry some responsibility, this is what happens KIDS!!!! These 2 survivors are going to be destined to have horrific dreams, PTSD, anxiety, depression, she needs counseling, she needs to serve her punishment yes, but honestly, how many of u that have new drivers have 100% faith your child is going to a perfect someone, shes 19, educate her, sober her up, take her license, make it so she can’t have a cell phone again, prison will ruin whats left a tragedy for all involved. She knows she killed 2 ppl with her actions, but being 19, any1 going to b summons or criminally punished for serving all these KIDS booze? I am so sorry for the parents of all of these KIDS
At 19 I hope she IS “fixable” but she does need to spend some time behind bars. She drank, she drove, she killed two people, she left the scene. Any one of them is bad but when you take her actions in total they were wanton and then she left her two dead friends and walked the mile or so back to the party? She deserves jail time. She deserves time to “think about what she did” while her freedom has been taken from her.
Please think about this…you are the parent of one of the dead friends. You will never see your loved one again. You will never hear their voice again. You will never be able to see their accomplishment in life. You will never see them grow one year older. But you will see the woman who killed your loved one walking free in the community after serving not one day of time behind bars after her conviction in a court of law. How would you feel?
^^^^^
Ya that will teach her a hard lesson. SHE KILLED TWO PEOPLE….hello.
Parents, teach your children that a vehicle is a 4,000-pound weapon and must be handled with extreme care, just like a loaded gun.
Jd additional charges related to underage drinking party are pending. Someone got killed in this case. Now I am thinking that at UMaine concert many could have been charged with underage drinking. The problem today is kids have know clue how dangerous underage drinking can be and law enforcement the college system or society tends to look the other way till something like this happens . Know one died in the other case but someone could have.
NO PLEA DEAL…AND NO FRESH AIR FOR HER. It would be an insult to the victims families. Let her suffer the consequences of her actions.
This young lady will live with her actions for the rest of her life. She will remember and regret what she did each and every day. She certainly deserves to serve time and I am sure she would agree. I just hope the families of her deceased friends can find a way to forgive her and that she can find a way to forgive herself. May she get the help she so desperately needs.
As a mom, I have sympathy for everyone involved, including the girl who was driving. She has something horrific to live with for the rest of her life. That being said, she has to serve prison time. She killed 2 individuals by making NUMEROUS callous decision that night. These people HAVE to be prosecuted or every other kid is going to think THEY can get away with this kind of behavior as well. Very sad situation all the way around.
We need to teach out children to drive ressponsably. We also need to teach out children not to get into vehicles with people who are drunk , or otherwise impaired. Teach our children to say no thanks I dont think I’m gonna ride in a car with you, and trust their parents enough to be able to call and say hey mom, dad I need a ride.
She’s productive? Whose to say she is or she isn’t if we don’t know her. All I can say is drinking is NOT productive! Drinking and driving especially! Sounds idiotic!!