Woman charged in death of Vernal coach

VERNAL — A 24-year-old woman has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of Vernal businessman and Uintah High School softball coach Claye Robb.

The class A misdemeanor charge is the only count filed by the Uintah County Attorney's Office against Aimee Jo Rowell.

According Uintah County sheriff's investigators, Rowell was driving a pickup truck on Nov. 21 about 9:30 p.m. when she hit Robb from behind and then struck a power pole. A passing motorist contacted authorities, who believed they were responding to a crash involving only property damage.

When deputies arrived, however, they discovered Robb, 48. He died at the scene.

"We believe he was just on a walk, but due to the circumstances, we're probably never going to know exactly where he was when he was hit — on the side of the road or crossing the road," Uintah County Sheriff's Cpl. Brian Fletcher said following the crash.

Fletcher noted that the crash occurred in a rural area of the county and that the street lights were on the opposite side of the road from where Robb's body was found.

Investigators have said repeatedly that evidence showed Rowell was not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash. The truck she was driving underwent additional testing by accident reconstruction specialists in Salt Lake City. Sheriff's officials said Friday they could not talk about the case.

Uintah County Attorney JoAnn Stringham, through one of her deputy county attorneys, also refused to comment on what evidence led her to file the negligent homicide charge, citing ethics rules.

Robb, a financial adviser by profession, started as an assistant softball coach at Uintah High School six years ago. He assumed the head coaching duties in 2007, leading a relatively young Ute team to a first-place finish last season in Region 10 and a berth in the 3A state playoffs. He was also a member of the stake presidency in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Glines Stake.

Rowell is due in court Monday for an initial appearance.

E-MAIL: geoff@ubstandard.com