A Sun Valley Co. worker charged in the death of his roommate was also injured in a brawl that lasted at least 10 minutes last Friday evening in the confined quarters of a two-man dormitory room in Sun Valley, according to police reports.
The alleged combatants were Corey D. Drehmel, a 19-year-old white man, 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing in at 185 pounds, and Jerome James, a 49-year-old black man, 5 feet 7-8 inches tall and weighing in a 250 pounds.
Drehmel has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and James is dead.
"In talking to police, they said he's (Drehmel) the one who looks like he got beaten," said Blaine County Coroner Russell Mikel.
What killed James has not yet been determined.
Drehmel appeared at his arraignment Monday in Blaine County Magistrate Court sporting a black eye on his right side. A booking photo taken at the Blaine County jail shortly after his arrest shows facial scratches, abrasions and bruising.
Drehmel has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, an offense punishable in Idaho by up to 10 years in prison. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Feb. 18 at 9 a.m., and the Roark Law Firm in Hailey was appointed to defend Drehmel under its public defender contract with Blaine County.
The suspect remains incarcerated in Blaine County Jail. Judge R. Ted Israel set bond at $100,000 on the recommendation of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Fredback, who told the judge that Drehmel has no ties to the community and has pending charges against him in both Ada and Blaine counties.
Drehmel is a former Boise resident, while James listed former addresses in Boise and Nevada. Both were employed as cooks with Sun Valley Co., said company spokesman Jack Sibbach. He said Drehmel cooked at the Dollar Mountain Lodge while James worked at Gretchen's in the Sun Valley Lodge.
Sibbach said he didn't know how long either man had been employed because police had confiscated the employment records as part of their investigation.
The men were roommates in the small, company-owned Oregon dormitory near the Sun Valley Lodge. Sibbach said the company provides low-cost housing for about 500 employees. Some live in large dormitory buildings near the Sun Valley Mall and others in condominiums in Elkhorn and other parts of Sun Valley Village.
"Some of these are very comfortable, and some of them are cramped," Sibbach said.
According to Sun Valley police, Drehmel and James became involved in a brawl last Friday night shortly before 11 p.m.
A probable-cause affidavit filed by Sun Valley Police Officer Connie Burrell states that a man who lived next to Drehmel and James reported that "he heard a loud physical fight occur for approximately 10 minutes" before he contacted Sun Valley Co. security, who in turn contacted police.
Burrell reported in the affidavit that when she arrived at the scene, "Drehmel was covered in bruises, cuts and blood."
"I noticed Drehmel's right eye appeared to be freshly bruised," Burrell wrote. "The white of his eye was extremely red. Drehmel had blood smeared down the front of his left bicep. Drehmel also had multiple fresh scratch marks across his chest and under his chin. Drehmel's right shoulder had deep scratch marks on the outer side. He also had what appeared to be a large bite mark on his right rib cage.
"I could smell a very strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his breath," Burrell wrote. "His speech was slow and slurred and he was having a difficult time standing on his own."
Burrell reported that "James had blood coming from his nose and he was lying on his back."
"He did not have a pulse and his eyes were open, dry, focused on one point and dilated," Burrell wrote.
James was pronounced dead shortly after midnight at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center.
An autopsy performed Monday at the Ada County Coroner's Office was inconclusive as to the cause of death.
Mikel examined James' body prior to the autopsy and said he could find no apparent external injuries that might have killed the man. Lab work is now underway and Mikel said it may take two to six weeks to establish a cause of death.
Sun Valley police continued their investigation through the weekend.
"A guy died and we're waiting to see what he died of," Sun Valley Police Chief Cameron Daggett said Saturday.
Drehmel, meanwhile, has pending drug charges against him in Ada County and a pending DUI charge against him in Sun Valley. According to court records, he was arrested by Sun Valley police on Dec. 21 on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was also charged with driving without privileges.
Ada County court records state that Drehmel was charged in June with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Court records further state that Drehmel has convictions in Ada County as a juvenile for minor consumption of alcohol, disorderly conduct, petit theft, carrying a concealed weapon and probation violation.
Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com
Corey D. Drehmel was arraigned Monday via video link to the Blaine County Jail. Photo by Willy Cook
