A 20-year-old Covington man could face a vehicular homicide charge in connection with the death of his 21-year-old Edmonds girlfriend while driving her vehicle.
Charissa Judkins died from injuries suffered in a Nov. 3 Kent single-vehicle crash into a telephone pole in the 24800 block of 148th Avenue Southeast, according to the Kent Police.
The driver, Andrew Lucas Shock, of Covington, suffered serious injuries. Paramedics transported Shock to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he remained Wednesday in serious condition in the intensive care unit. Judkins died at the scene of the accident.
“Vehicular homicide charges are possible if the driver survives his injuries based on the death of the passenger,” Kent Police Sgt. Robert Constant in a Wednesday email.
“A preliminary investigation indicated possible impairment of the driver which resulted in a search warrant being sought for the driver’s blood,” Constant said. “A judge found probable cause for the warrant and we subsequently obtained blood evidence from the driver. We will withhold further comment on this subject until we receive the report back from the (State Patrol) Toxicology lab.”
Constant said the initial collision review noted extensive damage to the vehicle as well as the telephone pole, indicative of higher speeds in order to generate the necessary energy for such structural damage. Investigators are analyzing the data obtained at the scene to determine the speed of the vehicle pre-collision and at the time of impact.
An initial investigation by police showed Shock, driving southbound on 148th Avenue Southeast with Judkins in the front passenger seat, lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then careened across the roadway and on to the opposite shoulder where it smashed into a telephone pole at the front passenger door.
Speed and possible driver impairment were contributing factors to the accident. There was an odor of alcohol noted during the investigation, said Melanie Frazier, Kent Police spokeswoman.
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