The young man behind the wheel during an Aug. 3 traffic fatality in Buckley was jailed Thursday and arraigned Friday.
Buckley resident Ryan R. Bogue, 18, was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with vehicular homicide and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving a death. He pleaded not guilty during arraignment and was then ordered to be held in the Pierce County jail on $100,000 bail.
The deadly accident occurred a few minutes after 1 a.m. on 112th Street East, shortly before the road reaches state Route 410.
According to charging papers, Bogue had alcohol in his blood stream, along with controlled substances found in prescribed depressants and the active ingredient found in marijuana. A Jack Daniels bottle was reportedly found in Bogue’s car.
Papers indicate Bogue told police he had consumed three beers, was traveling about 45 miles per hour and crashed because he swerved to miss three deer.
A different story is told by investigators who downloaded information from the airbag control module in Bogue’s automobile. It shows he was driving 86 miles per hour five seconds before the crash; the car’s brake was activated three seconds before the accident; and the vehicle slowed to 70 just two seconds before the crash when the anti-lock brake system activated. At the time of the impact, investigators determined, the car was traveling at 57 mph in an area where the posted speed limit is 35.
Officers noted the 2009 Pontiac G6 slid broadside from the road and hit a power pole, nearly tearing the vehicle in half.
Bogue’s second charge stems from what allegedly occurred immediately following the crash. With his 17-year-old passenger lying along the road after being ejected from the vehicle, either near death or already deceased, Bogue fled the scene, calling friends and asking to be picked up in Buckley. He was found a short time later at Enumclaw’s St. Elizabeth Hospital.
The passenger was identified as Traevon Norton.
One witness said Bogue denied being with anyone at the time of the wreck. A witness who saw Bogue walking along the road immediately after the crash reported Bogue’s only comment was, “don’t call the cops.”
