A Battle Ground man who rear-ended a motorcyclist, throwing him from his bike, and then fled on state Highway 500 was sentenced Wednesday in Clark County Superior Court to the prison-based drug offender sentencing alternative, known as DOSA.
Trevon X. Christensen, 24, was sentenced to 56 1/2 months in prison, but DOSA allows offenders to spend half their sentence in prison and the other on community custody.
Offenders undergo substance abuse treatment while in custody and continue treatment when released. They must refrain from drug use. If they violate their community custody, they may be ordered to serve the remainder of their sentence in prison.
Christensen asked Judge Robert Lewis to give him a chance to prove himself.
Lewis, though seemingly reluctant, granted the defense’s request for the program, in spite of the prosecution’s arguments that it’s unknown if drugs played a factor in the July 30 crash.
Christensen pleaded guilty in December to vehicular assault while disregarding the safety of others and hit-and-run injury accident.
Daniel Rowe was riding his motorcycle west in the left lane of the highway, east of Andresen Road, about 9:30 p.m. when a car in the right lane later identified as a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant swerved toward him. Rowe swerved to avoid being struck, he said, and then sped up to get way from the car, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
A short distance later, Rowe saw headlights approaching at high speed, he said, and he was struck from behind. The impact threw him from his bike; he landed on the hood of the car before falling to the ground. Rowe came to rest in the left lane, and his motorcycle landed in the brush on the right shoulder, the affidavit states. The car that struck him kept going.
Rowe suffered five fractured ribs and a fractured shoulder blade, court records said.
Investigators found the suspect car the following day abandoned in the 7300 block of Northeast 43rd Way in Vancouver. It had fresh damage and was impounded, according to the court document. The owner of the car, identified as Christensen, reportedly called the tow company about his vehicle.
An anonymous caller also contacted the Washington State Patrol and said an acquaintance, determined to be Christensen, was in a collision with a motorcycle, the affidavit said.
Investigators later contacted Christensen at an appointment with the Department of Corrections, and he confessed to being the driver. He said he didn’t stop because he thought he had just “bumped” the motorcycle, according to court records.
