Judge won't let hit-and-run suspect drive for work

EPHRATA — An Ephrata man who is accused of leaving the scene of an accident after a man fell out a truck he was driving will not be allowed to drive for work.

McKell Iyall, 22, of Ephrata, was charged in Grant County Superior Court with two counts of vehicular assault and hit-and-run (injury). As a part of the conditions for Iyall’s release, Judge John Antosz previously stipulated the defendant would not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle under any circumstance.

On Monday Iyall’s attorney, Stephen Felice, petitioned the court to consider amending the conditions for his client's release and grant him the ability to operate a motor vehicle, but only for work-related purposes, as Iyall has his Commercial Driver’s License and is employed in the trucking industry. With Iyall’s job based solely on the ability to drive, Felice said the conditions set by Antosz will have a negative effect on Iyall’s ability to do his job and could cause him to lose it.

Deputy Prosecutor Carole Highland was against the motion, noting several traffic violations Iyall has received over the past couple of years. Judge John Knodell sided with Highland and denied the motion to amend Iyall’s conditions of release.

The conditions stem from an incident in the evening hours of June 30, when the Ephrata Police Department responded to a report of a traumatic injury in the area of Maringo Road and Roosevelt Boulevard. Police found the 24-year-old male victim at the scene, who had reportedly fallen out of the back of a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Iyall. The victim was initially transported to Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata for treatment of brain injuries and was later airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Four witnesses told police they were at a home in the 300 block of Strand Road and decided to go to another residence in the 300 block of Maringo Road. They stated they got into the Dodge Ram, but the cab of the truck was full and three people, one of whom was the victim, got into the bed of the truck.

The tailgate on the back of the truck was reportedly down as Iyall was driving, with the passengers in the bed yelling at him to slow down. Iyall allegedly hit the gas instead, which caused the victim to fall out of the back of the truck at the Roosevelt/Maringo intersection. Iyall eventually drove back to where the man had fallen, but fled the scene as 911 was being contacted.

“I asked the witnesses if there was any way Iyall did not know (the victim) was injured or had been thrown from the vehicle, they all said no. I inquired if they had observed Iyall drinking any alcoholic beverages,” wrote a officer. “They all said they had only been around him for approximately 30 minutes but did not observe him drinking alcoholic beverages. I asked if they felt Iyall was acting normally or if he may have been intoxicated, they all said they did not feel he was intoxicated.”

Iyall reportedly contacted MACC Dispatch Friday morning and was arrested by the EPD about 8:40 a.m.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.