11-07-2025
Their Boise meeting was ‘life-altering.' The man responsible is going to prison
On June 29, 2024, Grace Routh and Rialin Flores — who didn't even know each other until that night — became intrinsically linked.
Flores got a baby sitter for home and went out to dinner with her husband at Little Pearl Oyster Bar in downtown Boise to celebrate a new path after the end of an eight-year career with the Conservation Voters for Idaho.
Routh met with family and friends to celebrate her brother's birthday at Green Acres Food Truck Park, off the Boise Greenbelt. They then decided to bike into the city, where Flores and Routh would meet each other for the first time at the Twilight Criterium, an annual cycling race near the Capitol.
The women had a friend in common who thought they should get to know each other, as they're both breast cancer survivors.
'The irony that we were connected to find community through a shared trauma and tragedy, and shortly after our introduction, we went through a life-altering accident together,' Flores said in court Thursday at the sentencing for Jacob Miller, a drunken driver whose actions meant that neither of the women would even remember that night.
Just after 9:30 p.m., as Flores and Routh crossed a Main Street intersection at the corner of 11th Street, they were struck by Miller, after he ran a red light going way faster than the speed limit, according to the Ada County Prosecutor's Office. His blood alcohol content was 0.214, or almost three times the legal limit of 0.08, court documents showed.
Flores was thrown at least 15 feet after being hit, and Routh was stuck on the driver's car for several blocks, finally falling off when he swerved to avoid another vehicle.
Miller never slowed down. He continued to drive through a busy downtown Boise, hitting curbs and other vehicles, narrowly avoiding a bicyclist and a pedestrian walking their dog.
He finally crashed his black Volkswagen more than 3 miles away on a sidewalk off the intersection of Parkcenter Boulevard and Pennsylvania Street, where he was detained by four young men until police officers arrived. Prosecutors said he was 'combative' with officers during his arrest, and attempted to kick a nurse once he was transported to a hospital.
Both women were severely injured, suffering traumatic brain injuries, multiple broken bones, lacerations and abrasions. They'd eventually learn about meeting each other and heal together through weeks of hospitalization, and then weeks of rehabilitation.
Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Scott called Miller's actions 'unbelievably dangerous and reckless' at the sentencing Thursday afternoon. He said he was surprised there weren't more than two people who suffered the consequences that Routh and Flores suffered, and he sentenced Miller to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 22 years.
Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Tessie Buttram called the victims 'fierce and mighty' for what they've had to battle, both physically and mentally.
'They appear whole. They are undoubtedly brave, but they continue to have struggles as a result of Mr. Miller's conduct,' Buttram said. 'They're not back to 'normal,' as normal was for them on June the 29th before Mr. Miller struck them down.
'They have had to rebuild their bodies and their lives. They've had to work so hard to get to where they are today, and they will continue to have to work hard to overcome the physical, mental and psychological damage that Mr. Miller's selfish decisions cost them.
'They will forever live with the scars left from his criminal conduct,' Buttram added.
There are drunk-driving crashes that cause serious injuries, the judge said, and then there are instances that are even worse, like this. Scott pointed to Miller's criminal history and the fact that he never stopped to help either of the women, and didn't even stop until he crashed.
Because of all those factors, he decided to sentence the 47-year-old to something close to what the prosecution recommended, which was a minimum 30-year prison sentence.
Miller pleaded guilty in April, through an agreement with the prosecution, to two felony counts of aggravated driving under the influence and an enhancement for being a persistent violator, a charge that can be added by the prosecution when someone has been convicted of at least three felonies.
The violator charge adds at least another five years of prison time to a sentence, with a maximum of life in prison. Each of the DUI felonies carried a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison. Miller will receive credit for the 377 days he's already spent in custody at the Ada County Jail.
Miller also could face up to a half-million dollars in restitution, Buttram said. The exact amount will be decided at a hearing on Oct. 20.
When asked in court by Scott whether he'd like to make a statement, Miller said he would. He didn't look back at the women, keeping his eyes toward the courtroom, and in a soft, barely audible voice, he apologized to Routh and Flores, saying that he knew his decisions would impact the rest of their lives.
Routh said Thursday that the incident has shown her that 'seemingly impossible circumstances are indeed survivable.'
'Mr. Miller, I don't hate you, and I hope that one day you can tell a story of redemption,' she said, adding that she hoped for his eventual recovery.
