A Pierce County man is accused of causing a crash that killed his 24-year-old girlfriend Sunday on state Route 167.
Pierce County prosecutors charged 27-year-old Todd Carl Mitchell with vehicular homicide. He is suspected of driving under the influence, which might have led to the crash, according to charging documents.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Mitchell's behalf at his arraignment Monday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set Mitchell's bail at $500,000, court records show.
A Washington state trooper was dispatched at about 2:15 a.m. for reports of a car hitting a pole and crashing into a ditch on state Route 167 in the area of 30th Street, near Fife and the Puyallup River, The News Tribune previously reported.
The roadway was blocked, and Mitchell's Chevrolet Cobalt had significant damage. The trooper noted the Chevrolet crashed and that a power pole had collapsed, according to charging documents.
The trooper determined that the Chevrolet was traveling south before going into the northbound lanes. It then crashed on the east side of the road, prosecutors wrote.
Witnesses said Mitchell was swerving just before the crash. A witness said they believed Mitchell was intoxicated, prosecutors wrote.
Melody Anderson, Mitchell's girlfriend, was 20 to 50 feet away from the Chevrolet in the bushes after she was ejected from the car, prosecutors wrote. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Mitchell initially claimed that a truck with a trailer caused the crash. A trooper spoke further with Mitchell. Mitchell allegedly said he and his girlfriend were coming from Lake Tapps and that they were speeding, prosecutors wrote.
The trooper noticed that Mitchell's eyes were watery and bloodshot. There allegedly was a smell of intoxicants coming from Mitchell. Mitchell allegedly said he drank six to seven beers. He continued to say that a truck had driven them off the road, prosecutors wrote.
Mitchell said he wasn't wearing his seat belt, but the trooper noticed a mark on the lower left side of his neck that was consistent with a seat-belt mark, prosecutors wrote.
Toxicology results are pending after a trooper took a sample of Mitchell's blood. Mitchell was in custody at Pierce County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, records show.
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