A 24-year-old woman charged with manslaughter in a Seward Highway collision that killed two people was on anti-anxiety medication and had alcohol in her system at the time of the wreck, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

Danielle Nicole Jennett faces two counts of manslaughter and two of criminally negligent homicide stemming from the July 14, 2008, head-on collision near Bird Creek that occurred when Jennett's northbound vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic, court records released Thursday indicate. She has also been charged with reckless driving.

Jennett, who has not been jailed, appeared at an arraignment with her family Thursday and entered not guilty pleas to all counts. She declined to comment, as did her father, Josh Jennett, owner of the Jewelry Cache.

A bail memorandum filed in court this week by Assistant District Attorney Clint Campion says her blood alcohol level measured less than .025. She had Alprazolam, a prescription anti-anxiety drug that can cause drowsiness, in her system and a handful of the pills in her purse, the papers say.

But that alcohol content is well below the legal limit for a drunken driving charge, and the pills were prescribed for Jennett, said her attorney, Paul Stockler.

"It's rare that they'll prosecute a manslaughter case without somebody being .08 or higher, or some significant amount of either prescription medication or illegal drugs in their system," Stockler said. "So I'm kind of surprised that they filed charges against her."

The investigation took more than a year to reach fruition and ended on the heels of a spate of deaths on the Seward Highway this summer. But that fact had nothing to do with charges being filed now in the year-old case, Campion said.

"The state troopers did a great job. They did a lot of follow-up investigation regarding forensic testing, other types of investigative steps that just take a lot of time," Campion said after the hearing. "Once we got most of those things done, that's when we made the charging decision.

"We evaluated this case independently and decided that there was enough evidence to present it to the grand jury and they returned an indictment."

The day of the wreck, Jeffrey McClure, 42, of Seward, was driving his Ford pickup south on the highway.

He'd lived in Alaska almost 20 years and worked as a bus driver for tour companies and schools, his sister, Holly Ibarra, said in a phone interview from her home in Arcanum, Ohio. He had been in Anchorage on a job interview and when he talked to Ibarra earlier, he was happy because he got it, she said.

"Jeff still had his whole life in front of him," Ibarra said. "It's just senseless that he had to die. I just don't understand it.

"I just want her held responsible for her actions."

According to prosecutors, Jennett's 2004 Acura sedan reportedly crossed the solid yellow lines, traveled straight despite the curve in the road, and directly into McClure's Ford F-150. The force of the impact destroyed both vehicles and froze her speedometer at between 76 and 77 mph, Campion's memo says. Gas, oil and transmission fluid doused the pavement, and vehicle debris was found as far as 100 feet away from the impact.

McClure's legs were pinned in the truck between the transmission and floor board, and he had only a faint pulse when troopers arrived. He was pulled out but died at the scene.

Jennett and her passenger, Riley McVitty, 23, had to be extricated as well, and McVitty was flown to an Anchorage hospital, where he died days later. Jennett was critically injured but in court Thursday appeared to have fully recovered.

Troopers arriving at the scene found tire rubber on the pavement from McClure's truck but none from the Acura, the court records say. The investigation revealed neither vehicle had any mechanical defects. Witnesses said that Jennett appeared to try swerving out of the way at the last second.

Witnesses reported Jennett was traveling at up to 75 mph at the stretch of highway where the speed limit reduces from 65 to 55 mph, the document says. There were no vehicles in front of her, and it did not appear she was trying to pass anyone. The road was dry and visibility good.

At the hearing Thursday, Campion argued at the hearing that the seriousness of the charges warranted bail of $50,000, but Stockler said Jennett, who on his advice has not given a statement to troopers, has long-running ties to the community and isn't a flight risk.

Court records indicate Jennett was convicted of underage drinking in 2002 but that the conviction was later set aside. Since getting her drivers' license in March 2001, Jennett has been cited twice for speeding and once for running a stop sign, court records say.

Judge Eric Aarseth set a $20,000 unsecured bond. The trial is scheduled for Nov. 23.

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