Man pleads not guilty in crash that hurt girl

A man pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges connected with a vehicle collision Sept. 10 in rural Battle Ground that critically injured a 9-year-old girl and her mother. The girl’s older brother also was injured.

Shane M. Turner, 31, of Battle Ground is charged with two counts of vehicular assault related to driving under the influence and reckless driving. His trial is scheduled for Dec. 8.

The girl, Agatha Konovalchik, is listed in serious condition at Randal Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel in Portland. Her condition improved from critical earlier this week. Her mother, Anna Konovalchik, 44, and brother, Jacob Konovalchik, 13, have been released from the hospital.

The Battle Ground family was traveling southbound in a minivan on Sept. 10 when the vehicle was struck by a westbound pickup at Northeast 182nd Avenue and Northeast 219th Street just before 6:45 p.m. Agatha Konovalchik was taken by a Life Flight helicopter to the Portland children’s hospital, where she has remained since the crash. Her mother and brother also were transported to the hospital. Turner was not injured in the crash.

He allegedly admitted to sheriff’s detectives that he had consumed two beers prior to the collision. An empty bottle of whiskey and three beer bottles were found in his pickup, according to court documents. The whiskey bottle’s contents were spilled on the floor, on the side of the driver’s side door and on the front of Turner’s shirt, court documents say. He also failed a standard field sobriety test, the documents say.