Prineville, Ore. – A Prineville man was killed in a single vehicle traffic crash Saturday night on SE Juniper Canyon Road. Anthony Johnson, 51, was a passenger in a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Sandra Kenner, 50, also of Prineville.
About 5:16 pm, deputies from the Crook County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to SE Juniper Canyon Road near MP 3 where they found a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee partially blocking the southbound lane.
“It has been determined that Kenner and Johnson had been traveling north on Juniper Canyon Road after dropping off a family member. At the time of the crash Kenner became temporarily distracted, realizing the family member had left his cell phone in the vehicle. As Kenner was giving the cell phone to Johnson she lost control of the vehicle and they crashed,” stated Crook County Sheriff Sgt. Travis Jurgens.
The vehicle went off the east side of Juniper Canyon Road where it struck a rock wall. The vehicle then crossed both lanes of traffic and came to a rest on the west side of Juniper Canyon Road. Johnson was ejected from the vehicle and was determined to be deceased at the scene. Kenner was sent to St. Charles Hospital in Prineville with non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation is continuing. There have been no citations issued.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Oregon State Police, Prineville Police Department, Crook County Road Department and Crook County Fire and Rescue. No citations have been issued at this time and the investigation is continuing.
