Juneau Superior Court Judge Louis Menendez called Joshua Jayson Hunnel “a pretty lucky guy” before sentencing him to a four-year prison term, with two of those years suspended.
After all, everyone in court Friday — even the defendant — agreed it was a miracle that he did not kill anyone when he drove drunk and crashed into a wall at the Foodland IGA on Dec. 11, just to the right of the Heritage Coffee entrance.
“It’s just sheer luck someone wasn’t standing there,” Juneau District Attorney James Scott said, noting the collision site is a well-used walkway between the liquor and grocery stores and that the crash was just before 5 p.m., a time when there are typically many customers in the area.
Hunnel, 40, pleaded no contest to driving under the influence with more than two priors, as well as admitting to aggravating factors that included having a prior felony conviction for burglary in 2012 and other convictions in Washington state, and a history of assaultive behavior. He will be on probation for three years and must pay restitution in the amount of $19,343.
Scott said the resolution of the charges was favorable to Hunnel, whom he called an “extremely aggravated offender” who had exhausted the rehabilitative resources of the state.
“We’ve done all we can do for Mr. Hunnel,” Scott said, adding that Hunnel has an extensive criminal history since he turned 18 with “incredibly reckless, inconsiderate, violent behavior over and over and over again.” Hunnel, he said, will continue to be a danger to the community and should expect increasingly severe sentences.
Hunnel’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Grace Lee, said her client has a serious alcohol problem and is asking for help; she said he has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous while in custody and plans to enter an intensive outpatient program after he is placed in a halfway house.
“I’ve been in and out of trouble with the law since I was 8,” Hunnel told the judge. He said that he lost his college scholarships after assaulting a sex offender and then “really delved into” drinking, graduating from “stupid teenage stuff” to more serious crimes that were all related to alcohol abuse.
Hunnel detailed his treatment plans, which include keeping away from alcohol.
“I know myself,” he said, describing his own manipulative behavior. “I’ve never given the state a chance to help me.”
Hunnel said he didn’t consider jail time a deterrent, adding, “What caught my attention was, I could have killed somebody.”
He told Menendez he considered the proposed sentence “the perfect amount of time to do what I need to do to achieve sobriety. If I can beat alcohol, this stuff will end. I’m going to make every effort to not drink.”
“Hopefully I will see you on the streets, instead of in here,” Hunnel said.
Menendez commended him for wanting to rehabilitate himself, and followed the recommendation of what he called an “insightful” plea agreement. After the hearing, Scott went out of his way to also give Hunnel kudos for his treatment plans, urging him to get help if he slid backward.
Defendant fled scene of crash, refused blood alcohol test
Hunnel had been drinking when he lost control of his green Tahoe on a patch of ice and crashed into the Foodland IGA on Willoughby Avenue. He left the scene before police arrived.
When Juneau Police Department officers investigated, they found the impact site to the right of the Heritage Coffee entrance. The impact overturned objects on the inside of the wall and caused structural damage, including broken bricks and extensive cracking.
Less than 30 minutes after the crash, an officer found the damaged Tahoe at Gruening Park, identifying the suspect vehicle by its license plate (recorded at the scene of the accident) and the fact that brick fragments were embedded into the bumper and tow hooks.
Hunnel reportedly denied driving the car and said he had been drinking at home all day, but his face matched a description given by witnesses at Foodland, and a nearby resident said Hunnel had just returned to the Gruening Park apartment.
Hunnel allegedly responded to officers’ request for a blood-alcohol measurement test by saying he “would fight to the death before he would give up any of his bodily fluids.” He subsequently agreed to a breath test, which recorded a measurement of 0.13 percent, higher than the legal 0.08 percent.
Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
