Man Turns Himself In 4 Months After Crash

More than four months after the car accident that killed two of his friends, Troy A. Chaffee of Spokane turned himself in Monday and was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.

Chaffee, who made his first court appearance Tuesday, was intoxicated when he crashed his car in late September, police said. The accident killed two passengers - 24-year-old Aaron Mertens of Spokane and Samuel Heywood, 30, of Deer Park.

Chaffee, 25, was headed west on Interstate 90 on Sept. 28 when his 1978 Plymouth hit a dirt embankment on the median and flipped into the air. The car skidded across both lanes on its roof.

It took the Washington State Patrol several months to investigate the case, said Chaffee’s lawyer, Kevin Stewart. When police recently notified him of his pending arrest, Chaffee turned himself in, he said.

Stewart asked that his client be released on his own recognizance.

Since the accident, Chaffee has refrained from alcohol and driving, Stewart said. He also moved in with his parents, who live within walking distance of Salk Middle School, where Chaffee has worked as a janitor since 1993.

But due to a prior DWI arrest in 1993, Commissioner Vance Peterson denied the request. Chaffee’s bail was set at $10,000.

He will plead not guilty, Stewart said.

, DataTimes