Spokane Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide

A 35-year-old Spokane man has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal accident near Preston last week.

In charging papers filed Monday, King County prosecutors allege that James Maybee was driving at more than 100 mph at the time of the crash and that his blood-alcohol level was .21 - more than twice the legal limit.

Court documents say that a 1987 Porsche driven by Maybee was westbound on Interstate 90 last Thursday when it left the road and rolled. A passenger, Dennis K. Noelke, 36, of Issaquah, died in the accident.

Maybee told a State Patrol officer that he and Noelke had been drinking wine and beer together, and that he had no recollection of who was driving or how the accident happened, the court papers say.

Prosecutors say Maybee has a string of drug and alcohol convictions. They say he was convicted of vehicular assault in 1994, driving while intoxicated in 1992 and violating the Uniform Controlled Substances Act in 1990.

, DataTimes