A Winlock man was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly crashing his vehicle while intoxicated, injuring a passenger in the process. His children, ages 1 and 4, were also allegedly with him at the time of the crash.
Nicholas R. Dafoe, 26, of Winlock, was charged Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of vehicular assault.
Superior Court Judge James Lawler granted Dafoe $20,000 bail at his preliminary court hearing Wednesday.
According to court documents, deputies from the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office responded at 6:44 p.m. on Tuesday to a report of a one-car rollover collision in the 600 block of Winlock-Vader Road.
When the first deputy arrived, he contacted a 22-year-old Winlock man with two black eyes and a possible broken nose, according to the sheriff’s office.
The man, who was covered in mud, reported Dafoe was driving and left the scene after the crash with his 1- and 4-year-old children, who were also in the vehicle during the crash.
The passenger reported he thought he remembered the vehicle sliding on ice.
The deputy investigated and determined the vehicle was heading north when it crossed the centerline and went into the southbound ditch, “went airborne,” and landed on its passenger side in a ditch.
The passenger was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Dafoe later told law enforcement officers that he was hungover from the night before and had two malt liquor beverages earlier that day, according to court documents.
However, officers noted that Dafoe was “unsteady on his feet” and believed him to be intoxicated.
Investigators obtained a warrant for a blood draw and are waiting for the results.
