A Battle Ground man accused of driving drunk and speeding in a Sunday two-vehicle crash in Hockinson that killed the other driver appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Jaxon Jondahl, 20, was arrested Sunday night at a hospital, accused of vehicular assault and DUI after investigators said they found busted beer cans and a bottle of vodka in the wreckage, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Judge Nancy Retsinas found probable cause Tuesday morning for vehicular assault, based on the affidavit detailing the crash, which stated the other driver, Nicholas A. W. Crown, 35, of Hockinson, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Crown died at the hospital Monday afternoon, an updated affidavit states. The prosecution plans to bring an amended allegation of vehicular homicide before the judge.
Retsinas also found probable cause for DUI, driving with a suspended or revoked license and an ignition interlock device violation.
She set Jondahl’s bail at $300,000 and ordered him not to drive if he posts bail and is released from custody.
According to court records, Jondahl’s license was suspended at the time of the crash, and he allegedly did not comply with an order requiring him to have an ignition interlock device on his car from previous DUI convictions.
He is scheduled to be arraigned July 23.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash shortly after 10 p.m. in the 17200 block of Northeast 159th Street.
Jondahl was driving his 2009 Chevrolet HHR east at what appears to be an excessive speed when he crashed into Crown’s 1995 Toyota Camry that had turned from Northeast 172nd Avenue to head east on 159th Street, according to the sheriff’s office.
The collision caused Crown’s car to roll onto its top in the middle of the road and Jondahl’s vehicle to go into bushes on the side of the road, according to the affidavit.
Jondahl allegedly told police he was going 10 to 20 mph over the posted 35 mph speed limit, the affidavit states. Investigators said they believe Jondahl was intoxicated after conducting sobriety tests.
He was treated at the hospital for minor injuries, court records show.
