Driver held on $100,000 bail in vehicular assault case that injured 2 children

A 26-year-old Kent man faces potential charges of vehicular assault, felony hit and run and reckless driving after he allegedly hit two children riding in a Barbie Jeep near Kent in unincorporated King County.

The man made his first court appearance on Wednesday when a King County Superior Court judge ordered him to be held on $100,000 bail in the county jail in Seattle and found probable cause for investigation of vehicular assault, hit and run and reckless driving, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

A 3-year-old girl remained in serious condition on Wednesday morning at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to a hospital spokesperson. A 5-year-old boy was in satisfactory condition.

King County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25 to an injury hit-and-run crash in the 19800 block of Southeast 281st Street, according to an email from Sgt. Ryan Abbott. A witness or two reportedly followed the pickup driver to a house in unincorporated King County about one-half mile from the crash, according to probable cause court documents.

Reports to 911 indicated the pickup driver was trying to remove the small plastic jeep from under the vehicle. Deputies went to the house and saw a Barbie Jeep wedged under the vehicle.

The driver reportedly told a deputy that he consumed a pint of vodka before the collision. The deputy noted that the driver appeared to be unbalanced on his feet, his face was flush and his speech heavily slurred. Deputies arrested the man and took him to the county jail in Seattle, where he was booked at about 9:03 p.m. Tuesday.

King County prosecutors expect to file charges against the man later in the week or by early next week.