Teenage boy charged with vehicular homicide in Spokane Valley crash

A teenage boy was charged Wednesday with two counts of vehicular homicide in juvenile court, stemming from a collision that killed two girls on Oct. 5. Preston Maher, 16, was charged in the case that killed fellow University High School students Josie Freier, 15, and McKenzie Mott, 16. Maher was identified as the driver of the car that left the roadway along a hilly stretch at the intersection of East Ponderosa Drive and South Bates Road around 9 p.m. on Oct. 5. The vehicle swerved before striking a curb at “near highway speeds,” according to Spokane County sheriff’s investigators. Maher is not in custody and his first court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 4 in juvenile court. He faces up to one year per count, which would be served in a juvenile facility.