Driver in deadly I-90 incident charged

A Hayden man charged with killing a man who had stopped to assist another motorist on Interstate 90 west of Spokane was ordered Monday to remain in the Spokane County Jail.

Robert J. Dyer, 24, was driving with a suspended driver’s license Friday evening when he struck another vehicle in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 near the Thor/Freya exit, Washington State Patrol Trooper Troy Briggs said.

The victim from that first collision followed Dyer and kept WSP dispatchers apprised by phone as both vehicles drove through downtown Spokane.

As they approached a second, unrelated rollover collision near the Geiger exit, Dyer’s 1998 Chevrolet Camaro struck and killed 56-year-old Scott A. Moore, of Priest River, who had stopped to check on the driver of the rollover, Briggs said.

The trooper who responded to the Geiger collision saw Dyer get out of the Camaro and lie on the ground. Dyer failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody for vehicular homicide and driving with a suspended license, according to court records.

Spokane County District Court Judge Randy Brandt set Dyer’s bond at $250,000, but Superior Court Judge Annette Plese reduced the bond to $100,000 following arguments Monday by defense attorney Christian Phelps.

“The state has concerns for safety of the public,” Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Rachel Sterett said. “The suspect was alleged not only to be drinking but driving on a suspended license.”

Dyer also had a current warrant seeking his arrest for failure to appear from April. He has no prior felony record, Sterett said.

Plese said she was concerned about Dyer’s living in Hayden with no apparent ties to Spokane.