A 29-year-old Vancouver man accused of vehicular homicide was driving at least 90 mph when he crashed and killed his passenger in February, court records say.
Michael Tataichy appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court in connection with the Feb. 6 crash in Camas that killed 18-year-old Manson Juea. Chuukese interpreter Lesther Muritok translated for Tataichy during the brief hearing.
Judge Daniel Stahnke set Tataichy’s bail at $100,000. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff McCarty had asked for double that amount.
Camas police officers and firefighters were dispatched at 12:13 a.m. to the 900 block of Northeast Third Avenue for a report of a serious traffic crash.
The Camas Police Department said in a news release that first responders found a Pontiac G6 on its roof with two people inside.
Police identified Tataichy as the driver, though his name was spelled Tatiachy. Family members told investigators that Tataichy and Juea were cousins, but prosecutors say they are unsure of their relationship.
“Speed was clearly a factor in the (crash). However, all other proximate causes are also being investigated,” police reported.
According to a probable cause affidavit, two witnesses told police the Pontiac was westbound on Third Avenue, traveling at an estimated 100 mph before it crashed into a tree on the north side of the road. The trunk of the tree was significantly damaged. A responding officer observed that the car came to rest about 160 feet from the point of impact.
“It appeared the vehicle went off the roadway when trying to negotiate the left-hand curve on (Third Avenue),” the affidavit says.
Debris was scattered on the roadway, including belongings from the car; there was also damage to a telephone pole and mailbox, according to the affidavit. Among the items flung from the car were two beer cans, some shredded beer cans and a piece of cardboard from a case of beer, court records say.
A witness, who was later interviewed, told police the car “exploded” when it struck the tree, causing it to go airborne and spin “like a top” before coming to a stop on its roof, the affidavit says. The vehicle caught fire, and the witness put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
Juea was declared dead at the scene. Tataichy was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for treatment.
Later that morning, a detective spoke with Tataichy, who confirmed he suffered only bruises in the crash. The detective also took a blood sample from Tataichy, which was obtained approximately 4½ hours after the crash, according to the affidavit.
The results, which came back in June, showed Tataichy had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, the affidavit says. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 is considered evidence of drunken driving.
Data from the Pontiac showed it was traveling between 90 and 92 mph in the five seconds before the crash, court records state.
When police followed up with Tataichy later in February, he said he picked up Juea from an apartment, and the two went to his house to split a 12-pack of beer, according to the affidavit. They left for another house in the area of Southeast 192nd Avenue and Mill Plain Boulevard, he told police, and ended up in the Camas-Washougal area. Tataichy said he could not remember anything else.
During Monday’s hearing, McCarty argued that Tataichy is a danger to the community and flight risk in addressing his bail. The prosecutor said Tataichy recently moved from Hawaii, where he has a criminal history that is unknown because the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has been unable to access the out-of-state records.
McCarty also said Tataichy has a passport from Micronesia. The state requested and Stahnke ordered that Tataichy’s passport be seized, though it’s unclear where it may be. Court records state the passport was among the belongings scattered at the crash scene.
Tataichy was arrested Friday, when he went to the Camas Police Department to retrieve his passport.
A court-appointed defense attorney asked for bail in the amount of $5,000, noting that Tataichy has remained in the community, supporting three children as a dishwasher, despite the potential criminal case.
