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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Marysville Man Suspect In Motorcyclist’s Death

A Western Washington man who told state troopers he hit something last week on Interstate 90 west of Spokane is a suspect in the Aug. 10 hit-and-run death of a motorcyclist.

Steve Moore, 23, of Marysville, contacted the Washington State Patrol through his attorney on Thursday. He was interviewed by investigators on Friday, according to WSP Sgt. Chris Powell, and said “he did hit something” the night of Aug. 10 on a stretch of freeway near the town of Sprague.

Robert Skaggs, 33, was run over by a car and killed after a worn tire on the Harley-Davidson he was riding went flat on I-90. When the motorcycle fell, Skaggs’s 10-year-old son, Nick, was thrown clear, but the boy watched his father die.

The boy and a truck driver reported seeing a small, red imported car. The trucker said the driver of the red car pulled over, a person got out and looked at the scene, then got back in and drove away.

Moore owns a red 1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse. It was impounded by troopers and is being examined and held as evidence.

Moore has not been arrested and remains free during the WSP accident investigation.

After the investigation, evidence will be turned over to the Lincoln County prosecutor’s office, who would then decide whether to issue an arrest warrant.

“I would venture to guess it would take a couple of weeks before anything was done,” Powell said.

Both Skaggs and his son lived in Illinois. According to family members, Skaggs was a construction foreman on a project west of Cle Elum Lake in Easton, Wash., and his son was visiting him.

“He was very much a family man,” said Skaggs’s brother, Rick Skaggs, who lives in Texas.

When the accident occurred, Skaggs and his son were on their way back to Easton after visiting Idaho’s Silverwood Theme Park together.

According to a WSP report, Robert Skaggs had borrowed the Harley-Davidson from a friend after his own motorcycle broke down. His brother said Skaggs was a safe, experienced rider.

“He had all the leather and helmets,” Rick Skaggs said. “We grew up on motorcycles.”

The boy was treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center and released the day after the collision.

“He’s handling it pretty well, considering what happened,” Rick Skaggs said.

, DataTimes