A 21-year-old Lacey man involved in a fatal crash on Meridian Road Southeast has been released from jail with conditions.
Damon Brook Ward, the driver of the crashed vehicle, attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday. Deputies booked him into the county jail earlier that day on suspicion of vehicular homicide and reckless driving.
The fatal crash occurred after 10 p.m. Oct. 23 on the 6200 block of Meridian Road. Omar D. Chavez-Leyva, a 21-year-old Olympia man who rode as a passenger, died in the crash from blunt force trauma to the chest, Coroner Gary Warnock told The Olympian.
Judge John Skinder found probable cause for the two crimes and ordered Ward to be released without bail, according to court records.
However, Skinder did set conditions, including that Ward not drive, leave the state, possess dangerous weapons or firearms and not contact the victim's family. Ward is due back in court for his arraignment on Monday.
Notably, Skinder did not bar Ward from possessing or consuming alcohol or drugs. Court records indicate Ward did not appear to be under the influence of either when deputies responded to the scene of the crash.
Ward also has no known criminal convictions, according to a screening report by Thurston County Pretrial Services. The report states Ward resides in Lacey. The Sheriff's Office previously stated he was from Olympia.
The Sheriff's Office released dash camera footage Thursday. The video shows a deputy finding the crashed vehicle in the middle of the roadway and speaking with the driver. The vehicle appears heavily damaged and the passenger is unresponsive.
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the fatal crash from the perspective of law enforcement.
Deputies responded to an unrelated call for an unknown injury, blocking collision on Rainier Road about 10 p.m. Monday, according to the statement. One of the responding deputies reportedly approached from the Nisqually Valley area with her lights and sirens on.
On the way there, she reportedly observed a dark colored sedan doing "doughnuts" at the intersection of Mullen Road and Meridian Road. The sedan appeared to notice the deputy's vehicle and fled southbound on Meridian Road.
The Sheriff's Office alleged the vehicle sped away at speeds over 90 mile per hours in a 40 mile per hour zone in a Thursday news release. However, the statement indicates the vehicle fled at an approximate speed of 80 to 85 miles per hour.
The deputy reportedly did not chase the vehicle and continued on her way to the call on Rainier Road. A few minutes later, the deputy found the same sedan crashed in the middle of Meridian Road.
The deputy contacted Ward who sat in the driver's seat with his seat belt on. He reportedly suffered a head injury but remained conscious, alert and able to answer questions.
Chavez-Leyva sat unresponsive in the passenger seat with his seat belt on. A large metal pole impaled the left side of his chest through the front windshield, according to the statement. The deputy called for advanced life support medics who later pronounced him dead at the scene.
As they waited for medics to arrive, Ward allegedly kept repeating that he knew he was going to jail because his friend was dead, per the statement.
Given the state of the scene, another deputy surmised that that Ward crossed the center line into the northbound lane and entered a grassy area on the east side of Meridian Road.
The vehicle likely "tore through about 127 feet of chain-link fencing" and struck a transformer, according to the statement. The force of the collision completely dislodged the transformer and launched it from the ground.
Evidence on the roadway also suggested the vehicle may have flipped and rolled before coming to rest in the southbound lane at about a 45-degree angle with the rear end facing north near the center line, per the statement.
During their interactions with Ward, deputies reportedly did not smell intoxicants on him or observe any alcoholic beverages in the vehicle.
The statement says a friend of Chavez-Leyva told a deputy that Chavez-Leyva left a Lacey home for a "Midnight Cruise" with Ward earlier that day.
The friend reportedly said he did not see Ward partaking in drugs or alcohol at the home.
