Juvenile Court Judge Orders Pavlis Bike Fatality Case Sealed

The Idaho Statesman: Juvenile Court judge orders Pavlis bike fatality case sealed

The public may never know the fate of a 16-year-old driver who police say killed a bicyclist last summer.

BY PATRICK ORR – porr@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman
Published: 12/29/09

A Boise boy has already made his first Juvenile Court appearance in the death of well-known cycling enthusiast Kevin Pavlis. But what happened in the courtroom remains a mystery, since 4th District Juvenile Judge William Harrigfeld is keeping the case sealed from the public.

The sealing means there is no way to know if the teen is fighting the charge of vehicular manslaughter filed by Ada County prosecutors. If convicted of the charge, he could face up to 90 days in a detention center, three years of probation, a loss of driving privileges for up to three years, community service and financial restitution.

Pavlis, 37, of Boise, died after being hit on his bike June 11 by a sport-utility vehicle on Hill Road in Boise’s North End.

Eric Pavlis, Kevin Pavlis’ brother, said he understands why many in the Boise cycling community might be upset with the secrecy surrounding the case. He hopes that someday the court records are unsealed.

“That way, if my brother’s daughter wanted to know more about what happened to her dad, she could find out,” Pavlis said.

Unsealing the records later would be up to Harrigfeld, who was not available for comment Monday.

The first hearing, held sometime after prosecutors said Nov. 6 that the boy would be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, was an admit/deny hearing. That’s when a juvenile suspect admits guilt or decides to fight the charge.

Under Idaho law, only the child, parents, and attorneys are allowed to attend the hearing unless the judge grants special permission to other people who have an interest in the case, such as the family of a victim.

After a plea is entered, juvenile cases are then made open to the public, unless the judge enters a formal order to keep them sealed – as Harrigfeld did.

Boise police reports indicate Pavlis was riding legally in the eastbound bike lane on Hill Road when he was struck. Police say the boy was driving west just before he turned left onto Smith Road, where his vehicle collided with Pavlis. Pavlis died a short time later.

Some members of the Boise cycling community have filled message boards and swapped e-mails questioning the handling of the case.

Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower tried to reassure cycling groups in October that his prosecutors were working closely with Pavlis’ family and that they planned to seek appropriate justice. Prosecutors had said they would tell the public whatever information they could about the case but warned that if a judge sealed it, they couldn’t say anything.

Bower said Monday that while he could not comment on the Pavlis case, “as a matter of policy, we believe juvenile prosecution should be open, and the process transparent.”

A “ghost bike” tribute – a bike painted white and chained to a fence – still sits near the intersection, a reminder to everyone who walks, bikes or drives by.

Kevin Pavlis helped manage Boise’s Idaho Mountain Touring outdoor-recreation store. He spent a lot of his free time with local cycling groups like the Lactic Acid Cycling Race Team.

Survivors include his wife, Elise, and their daughter, Sarma, who is named after Pavlis’ mother. She was 2 when her father died.