EVERETT — Steven Manske was too drunk to drive, so he called a taxi to take him home.
His wife, Jeanette Cline-Manske, also knew better than to get behind the wheel. She called her daughter and father for a ride home.
The couple made it home safely. Unfortunately, they didn’t stay there.
A short time later and a half-mile from their Granite Falls-area home, Cline-Manske was killed. She was in the passenger seat when Manske lost control of his Jeep and crashed into some trees. She died at the scene.
Steven Manske, 50, on Monday was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for his wife’s death. He pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and negligent driving in the April 20 crash.
“I loved my wife very, very much,” Manske said. “If I could trade places with her, I would in a heartbeat.”
He will live knowing that he is responsible for her death, he said.
Manske met his wife at a Lynnwood restaurant. She and some co-workers had gone there after learning that they were losing their jobs.
The couple got into an argument while at the restaurant, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Ed Stemler wrote in court documents. Manske left, taking a taxi home. His wife called relatives to pick her up.
The argument continued when Cline-Manske arrived home. Mankse grabbed the keys to his Jeep. His wife went with him, Stemler wrote.
“This case is an extremely sad one, and one of great tragedy,” Kurtz said. “The defendant, Mister Mankse, was wrong. So the record is clear, he was the one, and only the one at fault that night.”
Steven Manske’s blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, Stemler wrote in charging papers. He had no criminal record before the crash.
Cline-Manske’s daughter and sister wept as the judge spoke to them. Kurtz said he’d read their heartfelt letters. He encouraged the dead woman’s daughter, Melanie Cline, 25, to complete her college studies.
“I know your mom wanted that and does want that,” he said.
Kurtz told Steven Mankse that once he gets out of prison, he needs to commit his life to being sober, a wish Cline-Manske’s family expressed in the letters they wrote to the judge.
Manske was expected to begin serving his time Monday afternoon. Before he headed off to jail, he hugged his stepdaughter, who sobbed in his arms. He hugged his wife’s sister.
Her sister was loved and gave her life to taking care of others, Debbie Hood said. More than 300 people attended her memorial service.
“She tried to always be happy and positive,” Melanie Cline said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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