Friday,  February 14 , 2025

Linkedin Pinterest
News / Clark County News

85-year-old Washougal man faces vehicular homicide after hitting 2 people, killing 1 at Big Foot tavern

Driver has dementia and medical issues, takes medications including depressants and opioids

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Local News Editor
Published: December 26, 2024, 12:11pm

An 85-year-old man is accused of hitting two people with his car on Sunday in Washougal as they were helping him to park, killing one.

Jesse T. Shehan of Washougal initially appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on an allegation of vehicular homicide. But his hearing was set over a day due to concerns over his cognitive functions.

Court records state Shehan has dementia and takes a number of medications for medical issues.

A judge ordered Shehan be on supervised release and subject to electronic home confinement. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 6.

Washougal police responded about 2:45 p.m. Sunday to an injury crash in the 100 block of Pendleton Way. Arriving officers found Theadore Jones pinned under a Subaru Legacy. The driver, identified by police as Jesse Shehan, was still sitting behind the wheel, according to court records.

Emergency medical personnel removed Jones from under the Subaru and took him to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, court records state.

Tamera Strunk told police she was at the nearby Big Foot tavern when she saw Shehan trying to park. He was struggling, she said, so she and Jones went to help him. Strunk said Jones went in front of Shehan’s car to guide him when Shehan drove forward, struck a parked car and then Jones, who was pulled underneath the car’s undercarriage and dragged 30 to 45 feet, according to court records.

Police said Shehan also hit Strunk and flung her off the road onto the sidewalk. She was uninjured. Shehan hit a second parked car where his Subaru came to rest, court records state.

Shehan told police he did not use drugs or alcohol, and a preliminary breath test found his blood-alcohol level to be zero. Shehan allegedly told police he takes many medications for different medical issues, according to court records.

Several witnesses reportedly said the incident was abnormal behavior for Shehan.

Officers noted Shehan had “pinpoint pupils and slow reactions.” Police said he struggled to follow instructions for other tests they administered. A drug recognition expert who evaluated Shehan said she believed he was under the influence of depressants and opioids, both drug categories for the medications he takes, according to court records. His blood was drawn for toxicology testing.

Shehan was cleared at a hospital before being booked into the Clark County Jail.

Loading...