A driver suspected of being impaired by heroin and causing a crash on state Highway 502, seriously injuring his passenger, made a first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Howard E. Morrow, 36, of Battle Ground appeared on suspicion of vehicular assault-DUI in connection with the Friday night crash. A passenger in Morrow’s vehicle, Chance R. Newbill, 27, of Battle Ground was in fair condition Monday at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The crash occurred just before 9:40 p.m. when a Chevrolet S-10 compact pickup driven by Morrow turned into the path of an oncoming vehicle while turning from westbound Highway 502 onto the northbound Interstate 5 onramp, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The pickup was totaled in the crash, as was the oncoming vehicle, a midsize Chevrolet pickup driven by Jorge A. Alvarez Baca, 21, of Woodland. Alvarez Baca was uninjured.
Newbill suffered a broken collarbone and ribs and a collapsed lung, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court. WSP Trooper Will Finn said Newbill was placed in a medically induced coma and was in the intensive care unit at PeaceHealth on Saturday.
A Clark County Sheriff’s deputy who was the first to arrive at the crash told troopers he could smell the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from Morrow’s pickup. Another officer saw a syringe lying next to the canopy of Morrow’s vehicle, the affidavit said.
Morrow told troopers he had used heroin about two to three hours before the collision and said he felt “dope sick,” court documents said.
A nurse at the hospital also found a syringe in Morrow’s belongings, according to court records. A trooper who responded to the hospital observed injection marks on Morrow’s arms, the affidavit said. The trooper said he couldn’t smell alcohol on Morrow.
A search warrant was obtained and two vials of Morrow’s blood were taken for testing, court documents show.
On Monday, Judge Gregory Gonzales appointed Vancouver defense attorney Christopher Dumm to represent Morrow and set his bail at $30,000.
Morrow will be arraigned March 28.
