ML man charged with vehicular assault

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man was charged in connection with a 2015 bicycle and vehicle collision that left a man with two neck fractures and a lacerated septum.

Grant County prosecutors charged Levi Hines, 25, of Moses Lake, with vehicular assault. An enhancement of under the influence was added to the charge.

Hines’ charges stem from an incident on Oct. 30, 2015, when the Moses Lake Police Department responded to a collision at the Moses Lake Dairy Queen, 1117 S. Pioneer Way. Police arrived at the scene and contacted the male victim, who reportedly had received several lacerations on his face and other injuries.

“EMS immediately began to perform aid on the victim who was laying on the pavement next to the curb. His bike was mangled and laying next to him. His face was covered in blood, however, his eyes were open and he was tracking the people around him. The victim did not speak and only moaned in pain,” wrote an officer.

Police contacted the driver of the suspect vehicle, Hines, and reportedly spotted two pieces of tinfoil on the passenger side floorboard and an orange syringe cap. Police suspected drugs played a role in the collision and began to question Hines. Hines was reportedly “slow to respond to questions” and claimed he never saw the man on the bicycle.

Witnesses told police they saw Hines leave Dairy Queen and start heading north on South Juniper Drive. They said the bike rider was heading east on South Alderwood Drive and the suspect vehicle went through the intersection and hit the rider.

Hines allegedly gave an account of the collision that did not match up with witnesses’ accounts, which prompted a officer to ask Hines if he would be willing to submit to a voluntary field sobriety test to prove he was safe to drive a vehicle.

“Hines asked why I wanted him to perform a field sobriety test. I explained his memory of the collision did not make sense when compared to what witnesses stated and the evidence suggested. I told him his response to questions was slow and his reaction to the collision showed a delayed response before he stopped the vehicle,” wrote a officer.

Hines refused to submit to a voluntary test and a search warrant was obtained for his blood. His blood was sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory for analysis and tested positive for methamphetamine. The bicycle rider was examined at a hospital and diagnosed with two neck fractures and a lacerated septum.