Vancouver man in court in vehicular homicide case

A 22-year-old Vancouver man is accused of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than double the legal limit when he crashed in November 2021, killing a passenger.

Joseph C. Manson appeared Thursday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. His bail was set at $10,000, and he is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 17.

Judge Suzan Clark ordered the bail amount requested by Manson’s defense attorney, despite the seriousness of the allegations, she said, because Manson has no criminal history and hasn’t committed any crimes in the year he’s been out in the community since the crash.

Clark County sheriff’s deputies responded at about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 9, 2021, to a crash near the 21600 block of Northeast Risto Road. Investigators found a red Mazda 6 that “was nearly torn in half,” up against a tree at a curve in the road, according to a probable cause affidavit.

A passenger, identified as Samantha Smith, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene, the affidavit states. Manson, identified as the driver, and another passenger, identified as Issiah Blocker, 22, were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in critical condition.

Deputies also observed the road was wet, and there were advisory signs warning of a curve in the road and speed of 35 mph. Investigators saw three beer cans around the crash scene, along with marijuana paraphernalia, court records state.

Blocker told deputies he was in the rear passenger’s seat, and Smith, Manson’s girlfriend, was in the front passenger’s seat. He said they went to a Vancouver bar, where they played pool, drank alcohol and used marijuana products, according to the affidavit.

When they left, Blocker said he told Manson not to drive, but Manson insisted he could drive. He said after they left, they stopped and bought beer from a convenience store. They each opened them, Blocker said, and drank them on the drive, court records state.

Toxicology results at PeaceHealth showed Manson had a blood-alcohol content of 0.199, according to the affidavit. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 is considered evidence of drunken driving. His blood was also sent to the state crime lab for further toxicology testing, court records state.

Blocker told deputies he couldn’t remember anything about the crash or what led up to it. Blocker’s medical records showed he suffered a fractured rib, lung contusion, laceration to his leg, sprained ankle and fractured elbow, the affidavit states.