A Washougal man suspected of driving drunk when he crashed and rolled his car, critically injuring a passenger, made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Friday.
Jesse Q. Gower, 24, appeared on suspicion of vehicular assault in connection with the Aug. 9 incident on Northeast Padden Parkway.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Gower was driving his 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX west on Padden Parkway and approaching the intersection of Northeast 78th Street when he hit the back of a Ford Explorer at about 7:40 p.m. The Explorer had been stopped at a red light, court records said.
Gower was traveling between 45 to 50 mph when he struck the other vehicle, and there was no evidence he attempted to brake, according to the affidavit.
He reportedly told officers he had “passed out” before the crash, court documents said.
A passenger in Gower’s vehicle, Moses Morales, then 26, was asleep in the backseat at the time of the crash, court records show, and was not wearing a seat belt. He suffered multiple facial fractures, brain bleeding and a broken vertebra. Morales also had several teeth knocked out and sustained cuts to his face, the affidavit said.
Gower allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol several hours before the crash. A blood test, taken several hours later found Gower had a blood-alcohol content of 0.072 percent, which means his blood-alcohol content was approximately 0.113 percent at the time of the crash, according to court documents. In Washington, a level of 0.08 percent is considered evidence of drunken driving.
Gower appeared Friday with his attorney Jacy Thayer, who said her client voluntarily turned himself in. Judge Robert Lewis granted Gower supervised release.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 13.
