A driver arrested in connection with a fatal pedestrian crash Monday night in west Vancouver was exonerated Wednesday pending further investigation.
Nicholas D. Moline, 25, of Vancouver was set to appear Wednesday morning in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of intoxicants. However, before his case could be called, the prosecution asked that it be stricken from the morning’s docket. He is not currently facing any criminal charges, but police could refer charges at a later date.
Officers believed Moline was intoxicated at the time of the crash and that there was probable cause to arrest him, Vancouver police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said.
A blood sample was taken, but the results will likely not be available for months due to a backup of cases at the Washington State Patrol crime lab, Kapp said.
“The investigation, from our standpoint, is ongoing. Traffic investigations take a long time,” she said.
Vancouver police were dispatched shortly after 9:30 p.m. Monday to the 1700 block of West Fourth Plain Boulevard, near Simpson Avenue, for a crash involving a pedestrian. Emergency responders pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene, according to a police department news release.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify the man and notify next of kin before releasing his identity, Kapp said.
The driver, identified by police as Moline, said he was driving east on Fourth Plain when the vehicle in front of him changed lanes, and he felt a “bump” in the road. When he looked back, he saw a person lying in the road, the news release states.
Witnesses reported that the man was standing up prior to being hit by the 1995 Nissan SX, Kapp said.
