EVERETT — An Everett man reportedly wept after being told that a passenger in the car he was driving died during a three-vehicle crash in Lake Stevens early Thursday.
The man, 50, got the news at the same time he was told by police that a search warrant had been obtained to take his blood to test it for drugs, according to a police report filed Friday in Everett District Court.
The man’s behavior after the crash led investigators to suspect that he was driving while impaired. He agreed to a field sobriety test at the hospital after being screened for injuries. A drug recognition expert from the Washington State Patrol found cause to arrest him for DUI.
Suspected methamphetamine, heroin and pills were found when he was booked into the Snohomish County Jail. The drugs reportedly were hidden inside a large felt-tipped marker that the man reportedly had been carrying.
“Jail staff advised they had seen pens used to conceal drugs and thus removed the tip of the pen, locating several plastic baggies inside,” the police report said.
A judge on Friday found probable cause to hold the man for investigation of vehicular homicide and set Oct. 31 as the deadline for filing charges. Meanwhile, the suspect’s bail was set at $300,000.
The man reportedly was driving a Ford Mustang east on 20th Street SE and turned left at the intersection with 91st Avenue SE, police said. The car collided with a westbound Chevy pickup. Both vehicles crashed into a Ford Fusion that was stopped on 91st.
A male passenger in the Mustang died at the scene. The driver told police that he’d been taking him home. No other information about that person had been made public as of Friday afternoon.
Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snorthnews.
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