Man arrested after truck runs into Vancouver house

A 25-year-old man was arrested early Tuesday after the pickup truck he allegedly was driving crashed into a house in Vancouver’s Hough neighborhood, officials said.

John P. Scapes, 25, of Vancouver was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. near the intersection of West 25th and Columbia streets.

Homeowner Roger Schurman was sleeping when the truck hit his house.

“I knew immediately that a car hit my house,” he said Tuesday morning.

After he got up and got dressed, he called 911 and went to see if the truck’s driver was OK.

Schurman said the driver couldn’t get the driver’s-side door open, so he got out through the passenger door and ran away.

A neighbor who woke after hearing the crash saw the driver fleeing from the scene and reported it to police, Schurman said. Scapes was found nearby and positively identified as the suspect, Kapp said.

The crash left a hole in the outside of the house at 301 W. 25th St., dislodged kitchen cabinets from the wall and damaged its foundation. Debris was scattered across Schurman’s basement workshop. A few bowls were broken in the kitchen, but Schurman said his china is intact.

“He sure messed up my home,” Schurman said.

He isn’t angry about what happened. He said he learned to deal with anger after his wife died in 1996 after being sick for several years, he said.

“I feel sorry for the guy that did it,” Schurman said.

He’s said he’s confident that his home will be fixed; he just hopes it happens before winter sets ind.

Schurman moved into the house, which formerly belonged to his mother-in-law, when she died 2005. He said the home was also hit by a car in 2000.

Paul Suarez: 360-735-4522; Twitter: col_cops; paul.suarez@columbian.com.