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UTAH STATE PRISON — A Cache County man serving a prison sentence for killing the owner of a popular coffee house in Logan while driving drunk is seeking parole.
Alvin Blaine Henson, 47, of Millville, had already been drinking since noon on April 10, 2014, when he decided to go to a local gas station to buy more beer. He said his friend went into the store to make the purchase, and then Henson backed out of the parking stall.
"Pulled out of the parking spot, after that I don't remember what happened," Henson told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole in a recording of the May 25 hearing.
A short time later, Henson allegedly blacked out while behind the wheel and caused a three-vehicle crash. Randy Wirth, 67, the co-owner of Logan's popular Caffe Ibis Coffee Roasting Co., who was riding a motorcycle, was hit and killed.
Henson was initially taken to the Cache County Sheriff's Office where his blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.171%. Seven hours after the crash, when he was booked into jail, his blood-alcohol level was still 0.13%.
Henson was convicted of automobile homicide a month later and sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. At sentencing, the judge said he would recommend to the pardons board that Henson serve at least 10 years.
He has served seven years in prison so far.
During the hearing, Henson talked about how his alcohol problem was due in part to hanging out with the "wrong crowd" and also having an alcoholic father. He had been through an addiction treatment program prior to the fatal crash and had recently opened his own mechanic business in Logan.
But after his business failed to take off, "things started going downhill again," he said.
On the day of the crash, Henson was attending a party and decided to get more beer after already consuming a large amount of alcohol.
"Think we were working on our third 30-pack, plus two shots of (whiskey), There was quite a bit of alcohol then," he recalled.
During his parole hearing, Henson claimed there were other vehicles in the way of his truck, and since no one would move them, he decided to move his girlfriend's truck himself. That somehow turned into a trip to the convenience store.
Prosecutors, however, argued that Michelle Hoppie, 49, of Logan, knew Henson was impaired and wasn't allowed to drive a vehicle without an interlock device, but still loaned him her truck knowing he was going to the store. Because of that, she was also convicted of automobile homicide in 2015 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
Henson said he never saw Wirth and wasn't aware that he had killed someone until he was taken to jail.
"I was really upset about it. I wished it would have been me instead of him. I was not in the right state of mind for a while. I took it really hard," he said.
Henson said he tried to show remorse at his trial, even though he said the judge did not believe he was remorseful.
"I just want to apologize to everyone for what I've done," he said at his parole hearing.
When questioned about reports that prior to the crash he would have others blow into his interlock device to make his vehicle start, Henson told the parole board that he was always sober when he drove his own vehicle, but admitted to driving his girlfriend's truck.
Also during his hearing, it was noted that Henson had completed several life skills classes and has not had a single disciplinary write-up since arriving at the prison. He claims that once he is released, he will not drink and will not hang out with people who drink, including his father.
"He's got alcohol there 24/7, so I don't want to be around that," Henson said. "Now I don't even want to touch alcohol. I don't want to be a part of it."
He does, however, want to try to get his license back after he's released from prison. But this time, Henson said he has a plan to stay out of trouble and tools to stay sober.
"I think I'll be OK," he said. "I'm trying to take the steps I can to put all my ducks in a row."
The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole. If Henson serves his full sentence he will be released on April 9, 2029.
