A 21-year-old woman accused of causing a head-on collision in Battle Ground and fleeing the scene made a first appearance Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Ashley R. Allen of Ridgefield appeared on suspicion of vehicular assault and hit-and-run resulting in injury.
The driver of the other vehicle, identified in court records as 33-year-old Mario Valencia, was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, including a possible broken leg, broken ribs and a ruptured spleen, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Superior Court. His condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.
Battle Ground police were called at about midnight Sunday to the intersection of Southwest Eaton Boulevard and Southwest 20th Avenue.
A witness followed the suspect vehicle, a red GMC Yukon, until police arrived. He followed the GMC until it stopped in the 19300 block of Northeast 112th Avenue. The witness told police that as the GMC drove away, the hood was up covering the windshield, and it was leaking fluid and making hissing sounds.
Police contacted the driver, identified as Allen, and said she couldn’t explain what happened or which direction she was heading. She said she made a complete stop at the intersection, however, according to court documents.
The responding officer said he could smell the odor of alcohol on Allen’s breath, and her eyes were watery and her speech slow. Allen told the officer she drank three beers within a few hours of driving. A preliminary breath test found she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.064, the affidavit states. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 is considered evidence of drunken driving.
Allen will hire her own attorney, court records show. Her bail was set at $5,000. She will be arraigned Friday.
