Washougal man faces vehicular homicide charges

An 85-year-old Washougal man is facing vehicular homicide charges after allegedly hitting two people with his car outside the Big Foot Inn tavern in Washougal on Sunday, Dec. 22, killing one.

According to a probable-cause report, Washougal police officer Trevor Claudson arrived at the scene of a reported injury collision in the 100 block of Pendleton Street in downtown Washougal, near the Big Foot Inn, around 2:45 p.m. Dec. 22, where he observed a person, later identified as Theadore Jones, pinned underneath a Subaru Legacy, and Jesse Shehan, 85, of Washougal, sitting in the driver’s seat.

Claudson spoke to a witness, Tamera Strunk, who told the officer she had seen Shehan struggling as he attempted to park his vehicle.

After she and Jones decided to help Shehan, Strunk told police that Shehan drove forward and struck a parked vehicle before allegedly running over Jones and dragging him 30 to 45 feet across the road.

Strunk told officers that Shehan also hit her with his vehicle and that she was “flung off the road and onto the sidewalk” but was uninjured. According to the police report, Shehan then drove into another parked vehicle before finally coming to a stop.

Emergency medical services personnel removed Jones from underneath the vehicle and transported him to a local hospital.

Shehan told police he did not use drugs or alcohol, and a preliminary breath test found his blood-alcohol level to be zero.

“Jesse informed us he takes many medications for his different medical problems,” Claudson said in the report. “While I was interacting with Jesse, I saw he had pinpoint pupils and slow reactions. Several witnesses stated this was abnormal behavior for Jesse, and he is not normally like this.”

Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Luke Debiak stated in his report that Shehan “had a hard time” following instructions. Claudson added that Shehan agreed to an onsite drug evaluation test and that Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Bethany Lau’s “assessment revealed that she believed he was under the influence of depressants and narcotics analgesics/opiates.” Claudson stated in his report that Shehan’s medications fall into both of those drug categories.

After learning that Jones had died from his injuries, police obtained a warrant to collect Shehan’s blood for further drug testing. Shehan, who has been charged with vehicular homicide, appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Monday, Dec. 23, and is due back in court Jan. 6.