Vancouver man gets 8 years in crash that killed pregnant woman

A Vancouver man convicted in a 2017 drunken rollover crash that killed his pregnant passenger was sentenced Wednesday to nearly eight years in prison.

In a bench trial Oct. 4, Clark County Superior Court Judge Robert Lewis found Arthur A. Shchukin, 32, guilty of vehicular homicide.

Court records say Shchukin was driving a 2006 BMW 320i north in the 3400 block of Northeast Cavitt Road, north of Camas, when he took a curve too fast. The car slid off the road and hit a tree, killing his passenger, 32-year-old Alina Pozhar of Vancouver. Pozhar was four months pregnant.

Shchukin had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 about three hours after the Dec. 17, 2017, crash, according to court records. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more is considered evidence of drunken driving.

The prosecution asked for the high end of the standard sentencing range — 78 to 102 months — based on the offense and Shchukin’s criminal history. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu noted that Shchukin has a history of driving and alcohol-related offenses.

Shchukin’s attorney, Edward LeRoy Dunkerly, in arguing for the low end of the sentencing range, said the prior convictions occurred years ago.

Shchukin apologized to the court, his family and Pozhar’s family. “I’m truly sorry,” he said.

Lewis sentenced him to 95 months in prison.

Shchukin’s driver’s license was also suspended as part of the sentence, and he’ll serve 18 months of community custody upon release.