A Vancouver man was convicted by a Clark County Superior Court jury Thursday of striking a pedestrian with his vehicle, seriously injuring the man, and fleeing the scene.
The jury deliberated for about 1 1/2 hours before finding Treven Perry, 33, guilty of hit-and-run injury accident in connection with the March 20 crash in Vancouver. In addition to the conviction, jurors also found there was an aggravating circumstance — the victim’s injuries substantially exceeded the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the crime.
The victim, Ryan Moore, then 20, underwent surgery for multiple injuries, which included a head laceration, concussion, leg fractures and a broken pelvis. He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit afterward, court records show. Deputy Prosecutor Katie Sinclair said in an interview Thursday that Moore has still not regained the mobility he once had.
Her co-chair on the case, Deputy Prosecutor Lauren Boyd, said the aggravating factor allows for a prison sentence up to five years in prison.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Clark County sheriff’s deputies arrived at about 1 a.m. to Northeast 131st Street and Northeast 42nd Avenue to find Moore had been struck from behind. The driver, later identified as Perry, did not stop.
A witness at the scene, Moore’s brother, Trevor, told deputies the vehicle was a dark green pickup or SUV. Deputies canvassed the area and found a 1995 Dodge Dakota pickup shortly after 8 a.m. parked in the driveway of a residence in the 4800 block of Northeast 128th Street. The front left corner of the pickup appeared to have fresh damage consistent with the crash, the affidavit states.
Perry told detectives that he swerved and struck a pole after he dropped something in his vehicle and reached down to grab it. He said he slowed down afterward and looked back to make sure he hadn’t hit a person. Perry then left the scene and went home to sleep, he said, adding that he planned to report the crash later, according to court documents.
Sinclair said that Perry maintained throughout the trial that he thought he struck a pole. His defense attorney, David Kurtz, argued that Perry did not knowingly hit a person.
Kurtz declined to comment after the verdict.
The prosecution argued that there was overwhelming evidence leading Perry to conclude he struck a person, based on the damage to his vehicle, Sinclair said.
Perry, who was out on bail during the trial, was taken into custody after the verdict. Judge David Gregerson set his bail at $25,000, pending sentencing on Tuesday.
