o Previously: A 16-year-old boy was badly hurt in a one-car accident on Feb. 27.
o What’s new: A 21-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of supplying alcohol to a minor.
o What’s next: Wesley Patridge is free on bail and his court date is not known.
A 21-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of supplying alcohol to a minor, concluding an investigation into a Feb. 27 crash that landed a 16-year-old in the hospital.
Wesley Patridge of Camas was arrested for allegedly supplying alcohol to Garrick Dahlen, who was admitted into the intensive care unit at Southwest Washington Medical Center after crashing his 1989 Volkswagen into a utility pole near Northeast Stauffer Road. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said Patridge was arrested on three counts of supplying alcohol to a minor.
Patridge was booked into the Clark County Jail after investigators spoke with him Tuesday morning, according to a press release.
Dahlen suffered critical injuries in the crash, according to initial reports. His family announced in an e-mail to the The Columbian one week ago that his condition had been upgraded from critical to serious.
Dahlen remains in the medical center’s intensive care unit, a hospital official said Tuesday.
Firefighters with East County Fire and Rescue responded at 5:30 a.m. to the site of the crash on Stauffer at 302nd Avenue, several miles north of Washougal near the Little Washougal River, according to a Clark County Sheriff’s report.
Dahlen was extricated from the Volkswagen and flown by Life Flight helicopter to Southwest. He was alone in the car.
“Initial findings indicate the juvenile driver was traveling westbound on Stauffer Road when he failed to navigate a curve at 302nd Avenue and left the roadway before colliding with a utility pole,” the sheriff’s report said. “At this time, it appears speed and alcohol were contributing factors in this collision.”
The teenager had left a party at 4 a.m., according to the report.
Furnishing alcohol to a minor is a gross misdemeanor that could result in up to one year in jail and a fine up to $5,000.
In the e-mail, Dahlen’s family thanked “everyone for their love and support during this very difficult time.”
An account has been set up at Wells Fargo to help Dahlen’s family with medical expenses. Donations can be made to the “Garrick Dahlen Family” account.
