A 58-year-old Vancouver man who’s accused in a fatal hit-and-run crash Thursday night in east Vancouver told detectives he thought he hit a trash can and did not stop to check, according to court records.
Dennis D. Bogle was booked Friday into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide, hit-and-run resulting in death and third-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license after a day of investigation and requests from police to help identify a suspect.
Clark County Superior Court Judge Gregory Gonzales set bail in Bogle’s case at $150,000 during his first court appearance Monday. That’s $50,000 less than Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu requested.
Vu noted that Bogle’s criminal history includes convictions for possession of methamphetamine, attempted theft, two bail jumps and “in excess of 13” infractions for driving with a suspended license. The prosecutor also said Bogle admitted to detectives he has not had a valid driver’s license for more than 12 years or vehicle insurance for around five years.
A court-appointed defense attorney said Bogle was driving his truck in a dark alley and was unaware he had hit someone.
Bogle was arrested at his home on Southeast Nancy Road, where officers also seized his Dodge pickup as evidence.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim Monday as Huong Nguyen, 58, of Portland. The medical examiner found Nguyen died from multiple blunt force injuries as a result of a motor vehicle versus pedestrian crash.
“(Nguyen) was struck and run over by a motor vehicle,” the medical examiner said.
The hit-and-run was reported to police at 8:51 p.m. Thursday. Officers responded to a parking lot in the 500 block of Southeast Chkalov Drive, where they found an injured woman lying on the ground. The driver fled the scene.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Nguyen was lying in the parking lot near the south side of a strip mall, one in a series of several strip malls along that side of the street.
“There was a large trash can and a large amount of trash scattered around Huong,” the affidavit says.
Nguyen’s co-workers at a nearby pho restaurant told police they last saw her taking the trash to dumpsters. They went to check on her when she didn’t return and found her on the ground, according to the affidavit.
Detectives obtained security footage from a loan and money services business that captured the crash. It clearly showed Bogle’s truck striking Nguyen as she was kneeling down to pick up trash, court records say.
Police also obtained a second video showing Bogle enter a nearby Chevron gas station and then drive toward the alley between two strip malls where dumpsters are located, court records state.
Bogle was connected to the truck through sales records, a theft case associated with the truck and his driver’s license photo. When officers contacted Bogle at his home, he admitted to being the driver involved in the crash, according to the affidavit.
“(Bogle) stated he had thought he just hit a trash can. (Bogle) admitted to trying to light a cigarette and his hand was obstructing his vision so he did not see Huong in front of his vehicle,” the affidavit says. Bogle also said he did not stop to see if he’d struck a person, court records state.
An arraignment hearing in the case is set for Friday.
