Bail has been set at $100,000 for an Ethel man accused of injuring a woman in a head-on collision in October 2020, fleeing on foot and then failing to register as a sex offender while there was an active warrant for his arrest.
Witness testimony and vehicle registration information identified Phillip Earl McCree, 43, as the at-fault driver in a hit-and-run collision at Newaukum Avenue and Riverside Drive that occurred on Oct. 24, 2020.
McCree’s truck reportedly crossed the center line and hit the victim’s vehicle head-on, according to court documents. The victim’s airbag deployed and there was substantial damage to both vehicles.
The victim was taken to an emergency room “with neck pain and an obvious deformity to her wrist,” according to court documents. Medical staff ultimately determined the victim suffered 18 fractures in her wrist from the collision.
McCree allegedly fled the scene of the crash on foot before officers with the Chehalis Police Department arrived, according to court documents. Officers were unable to locate him, but located paperwork and a cellphone inside the truck belonging to McCree.
Witnesses later picked McCree out of a photomontage as the driver of the truck.
McCree’s license was suspended at the time of the crash and he was under probation for a previous reckless driving conviction, according to court documents.
McCree was initially charged with vehicular assault and hit-and-run in February 2021 and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing on this case in March 2021 but he missed four attempts to hold the hearing “based on excuses related to COVID-19.”
Lewis County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for McCree in April 2021.
That month was the last time the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was able to verify McCree’s address as part of his registration as a sex offender.
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office has since charged McCree for failure to register as a sex offender.
McCree was convicted for third-degree rape of a child in 1999 and was convicted twice for failure to register as a sex offender, once in 2000 and again in 2007.
When law enforcement attempted to make contact with McCree at his registered address on Oct. 31, law enforcement were notified McCree moved to Utah “several weeks ago,” according to court documents.
A family member reportedly “eluded to the fact that McCree would not be registering elsewhere due to his pending case on warrant.”
McCree was eventually arrested in Mississippi and was extradited back to Washington.
He was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 11:20 a.m. on March 3 and had preliminary hearings on both the hit-and-run and failure to register cases the next day.
While the warrants for McCree’s arrest set bail at $25,000 and $20,000 each, for a total of $45,000 that McCree would have to post in order to be released, Deputy Prosecutor Joe Bassetti recommended that bail be increased to $50,000 for each case.
“The state’s concerns in this case are both for community safety and for his ability to come to court,” said Bassetti at McCree’s hearing on March 4.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller informed the court that McCree had lost his job and was financially unable to post bail. She added that McCree’s job previously required him to travel, which was why he was out of state.
Judge James Lawler said he agreed with Bassetti’s concerns and set McCree’s bail at $50,000 for each of his two cases.
His next court appearance in both cases is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Thursday, March 10.
