EVERETT — A Mountlake Terrace man reportedly had been drinking before he crashed his car into a tree Friday night, killing his passenger.
The man, 26, at first told police he had been texting, according to the arrest report. He later allegedly said he had consumed as many as four drinks in the hour before the crash.
Michael Spieker was being held Tuesday at the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide. A judge set bail at $100,000.
The crash occurred about 11:30 p.m. Friday on 48th Avenue W. in Mountlake Terrace. Spieker apparently was headed home with friends. The group was traveling in multiple vehicles.
Witnesses said Spieker’s Nissan coupe swerved into oncoming traffic and passed another car. It swerved back into the lane near 222nd Street SW before it went into the brush, hit the tree and caught fire.
The passenger, a 26-year-old Monroe woman, was pulled free by witnesses. She died at the scene. Her name was not made public Tuesday.
A blood sample was taken from the suspect at the hospital, according to the arrest report. The results of a blood-alcohol test were not included in the records made public so far.
A vehicular homicide charge is most often filed in cases of drunken driving that led to death. It also can be applied after fatal collisions where prosecutors allege that recklessness, or disregard for the safety of others, was a factor.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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