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Daughter says her dad, killed by drunk driver in 2023, had ‘so much more to give’
Cedar Rapids woman sentenced to 16 years in prison
Feb. 3, 2026 4:54 pm, Updated: Feb. 4, 2026 7:40 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — A daughter said her dad’s death in 2023 left an “unfillable hole” in her family’s life and she carries that loss “every single day” of her life.
Cheyenne Horak, during a victim statement read by a Linn County Attorney’s Office victim/witness coordinator, said her dad, Chad Eugene Craig, 48, of Cedar Rapids, was a hardworking man who always showed up and did the right thing. He was a father, son, brother and friend to many.
“He had so much more to give,” Horak said.
Debra Kay Trimble, 62, originally charged with homicide by vehicle — which would carry a 25-year sentence — was convicted in December of lesser charges: homicide by vehicle — reckless driving, and serious injury by vehicle — operating while intoxicated, both felonies; and operating while intoxicated, a serious misdemeanor.
Trimble, during her plea hearing, admitted to driving a Pontiac Vibe in a reckless manner on Oct. 3, 2023, crossing the center line at 3850 Cottage Grove Ave. SE and unintentionally causing the death of Craig, who was driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
According to a criminal complaint, Trimble crashed head-on into the motorcycle.
Jillissa Murphy, a criminalist with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, during a deposition, said Trimble’s blood alcohol content registered .094 percent four hours after the crash — which is over the legal limit of .08 percent, according to court documents.
Murphy also said the retrograde extrapolation, a calculation used to estimate the level at the time of the crash, would be much higher. She estimated it would have been between .138 and .203 percent, the document stated.
The toxicology reports showed Trimble also had cocaine in her system the day of the crash, according to court documents.
Witnesses told police Trimble was passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone uphill and on a curve as she struck the motorcycle, which was driving in the proper lane, a criminal complaint stated.
Law enforcement at the scene said Trimble had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred and mumbled speech and had a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath,” the complaint stated. Trimble failed a field test and refused to take other tests at the scene.
Trimble told police she drank three alcoholic beverages, according to the complaint. She was taken to the Linn County Jail and consented to providing a breath sample that registered a blood alcohol content of .109, according to the complaint.
Assistant Linn County Attorney Jordan Schier, after the December plea hearing, said Craig’s family agreed to the plea agreement.
During the sentencing, Trimble, after tearing up, read a letter she wrote to the Craig family, saying she was “truly sorry and regretted the accident” that took Craig’s life.
“I can’t imagine the pain and suffering you have been through,” said Trimble, who turned and faced the family in the courtroom.
She said she thinks about the crash every day and will never forget what happened to Craig. She also thinks about all the lives changed because of her actions.
“I am grateful you agreed to this sentence,” Trimble said.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Mark Fisher sentenced Trimble to up to 16 years in prison. She was also ordered to pay $150,000 to Craig’s heirs or estate, as required by Iowa law.
Dawn Lienau, who identified herself as Craig’s common law wife, told The Gazette after his death that they typically would have worked that night at Kraft Heinz in southwest Cedar Rapids, but both had taken bereavement leave after the recent death of Lienau’s sister.
She said her husband was going to Menards that night and asked her to go with him, but she declined. When he didn’t return, she started to wonder where he might be — but wasn’t too worried because he was always stopping to help someone. He “loved his cars and was always working on somebody’s car,” she said.
Lienau said she blacked out after hearing from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office about Craig’s fatal crash.
Lienau, after the crash, said she and Craig were never officially married, but they had been together for 23 years.
“We got matching ring tattoos — wedding bands — about 10 years ago in Vegas. We just never actually did it legally,” Lienau said.
Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
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