MONROE — State troopers were finishing up investigating a crash Wednesday evening on U.S. 2 when they got word of another a couple miles away.
Around 6:20 p.m., Shawn Parrish’s Lexus RX rear-ended motorcycle rider Mark Camp, who was stopped in traffic between Monroe and Sultan, according to the Washington State Patrol. Parrish, of Sultan, also struck the car in front of the motorcyclist, pushing it into a van.
Camp, of Snohomish, was thrown from his motorcycle, according to a state trooper’s report. He reportedly wasn’t wearing a U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant helmet. He died at the scene. He was 62.
At the scene, Parrish was calm after the crash, the trooper noted. His speech was reportedly drawn out and slurred. His eyes were bloodshot.
In sobriety tests, authorities noticed signs Parrish, 53, was under the influence, according to the trooper’s report. And his pulse was elevated. But his blood-alcohol content was only 0.008 on a breathalyzer test about 20 minutes after the crash, well under the 0.08 legal limit.
A drug recognition expert concluded the Sultan man was under the influence of a depressant, stimulant or a combination of the two.
Police took the suspect, who suffered minor injuries, to Evergreen Hospital in Monroe. Just before midnight, over five hours after the crash, his blood was drawn. He offered to have his blood taken voluntarily, but troopers got a warrant anyway.
State troopers arrested Parrish for investigation of vehicular homicide. He has a history of minor driving offenses in Snohomish County dating back over 20 years, including driving with a suspended license and speeding, according to court records.
On Friday, Parrish remained in the Snohomish County Jail with bail set at $250,000.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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