Semitruck driver sentenced to jail, probation for causing fatal I-15 crash 10 years ago

PROVO — A semitruck collided with a pickup truck on I-15 in Spanish Fork over a decade ago, causing the death of a 21-year-old man, and on Monday, the criminal case filed against the driver of the semitruck finally concluded.

Monte Cooke, 59, of Pocatello, Idaho, was sentenced to two terms of one year in jail for automobile homicide and aggravated assault, class A misdemeanors, in addition to zero to five years in prison for possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony. He pleaded guilty to the charges in August.

Fourth District Judge Kraig Powell suspended those sentences, instead ordering Cooke to spend three years on probation and one year in jail, but told Cooke he would seriously consider ordering him to serve the prison sentence if he is back in court for violating his probation. The judge also gave Cooke credit for 270 days he already spent in jail.

Early in the morning on April 23, 2016, a GMC truck attempted to pass the semitruck Cooke was driving on the left, but a car came into the semitruck's lane, causing it to swerve onto the right shoulder. Charging documents said the semitruck's "pup" trailer struck a guardrail, leading the tractor and main trailer to go out of control and also crash into the guardrail. The semitruck then returned to the road and hit the GMC truck.

Utah Highway Patrol reported after the crash that the victim was 21-year-old Irineo Hernandez Ambriz, of Provo. Hernandez was a passenger, and the driver of the GMC truck was hospitalized along with Cooke.

According to charges, which were not filed until January 2017, the semitruck's computer showed Cooke was traveling at 69 miles per hour prior to the crash — then quickly decelerated from 67 to 0 mph without applying brakes or engaging the clutch. Cooke denied a blood draw initially, but after a warrant was delayed, he decided to allow the blood draw and tested positive for methamphetamine.

Deputy Utah County attorney Charlotte Howard said the driver of the GMC truck had been at a previously scheduled sentencing but was unable to come on Monday. She said he is living with substantial, permanent injuries from the crash, including decreased vision.

"These hearings have been so much for both of these families that they haven't been able to come to a lot of them because of the hardship," she said.

Howard also said there are multiple other members of the community who were impacted by the case, including law enforcement officers who have since retired.

According to Howard, Cooke's criminal history, which includes recent Idaho convictions, suggests continual drug use, and his statement that he is sober is "clearly inconsistent." She also said statements from Cooke that he doesn't believe drugs contributed to the collision "ignore the gravity" of the case.

She said the case resolution has taken a long time, and Powell agreed, saying he believes it is the oldest ongoing case he is currently assigned and has affected many. He apologized for how long the case took to resolve.

Cooke chose not to speak at Monday's sentencing. His attorney, Amanda Darcy, said he was originally booked in Idaho and asked the judge to take into account the 64 days he had spent in jail there and to allow him to participate in jail industries for the rest of his year in custody.

Cooke admitted in his plea statement in August that he had 0.075 micrograms per milliliter of methamphetamine in his blood after the crash.

Multiple things caused the case's significant delay, including a warrant that was out for Cooke for almost two years, another that was shorter, court delays due to COVID-19, and a lengthy appeal after Powell denied a motion to dismiss the case.

Cooke claimed in the motion to dismiss that his case was filed under a statute that was later repealed and replaced by the legislature. The Utah Supreme Court ruled in March 2025 that he could still stand trial under the law in the original statute despite the statute's repeal. They cited a law that said the repeal of a statute does not affect criminal charges already initiated under that statute.

Earlier this year, Cooke also asked to dismiss the case because the 911 call recording was not kept, and there is not a record of the name of the person who reported the collision or what they said. That request was also denied.

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