Man appears in court in Thursday crash that injured 17-year-old

A Vancouver man appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of hitting a 17-year-old boy with his vehicle in Hazel Dell on Thursday and then fleeing the scene.

Shawn J. Ham, 23, faces a charge of felony hit and run at his Nov. 1 arraignment. That charge could be changed to vehicular assault if blood tests confirm sheriff’s investigators’ suspicions that Ham was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, said Deputy Prosecutor Julie Carmena.

Judge David Gregerson set Ham’s bail at $35,000. Ham indicated that he planned to hire an attorney because he doesn’t qualify for a court-appointed defender.

He is accused of hitting the boy near the intersection of Northeast 102nd Street and Northeast Hazel Dell Avenue. The victim was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, treated and released, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Ham was apprehended at his residence near the crash, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court. His vehicle was parked there with impact marks and a shattered windshield, the affidavit says.

Ham was convicted of driving under the influence in 2011 in separate incidents in Oregon and Washington, Carmena said.