One dead in crash in southwest Spokane County; police arrest driver on suspicion of vehicular homicide

One person died at the scene of a fatal car crash Wednesday evening in southwest Spokane County, according to Spokane County deputies.

In a news release, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested the driver of the car, 19-year-old Rayce R. Kent, on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

Deputies responded to calls of a rollover one-vehicle car crash in the area of South Cheney-Spokane Road and South Sherman Road around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, the release said. Witnesses told police the car had been traveling at high speeds.

When they arrived, deputies saw one car containing three people had rolled over. They found a trail of debris and skid marks that extended around 500 feet.

According to the arrest warrant, the deputy who arrived on the scene suspected Kent of being intoxicated.

The deputy asked Kent how much alcohol he consumed before the crash, to which he responded, “Five or six beers,” the warrant said. Kent said they were Mike’s Hard Lemonades, according to the arrest warrant.

Deputies theorized Kent had been driving fast and then failed to account for a curve in the road, which caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.

The car rolled over several times, injuring all three passengers.

The passenger in the back seat suffered serious injuries and died at the scene. Both Kent and the front passenger went to the hospital, though neither suffered life-threatening injuries and both were later released.

Police arrested Kent and booked him into the Spokane County Jail due to the severity of the crash, the release said.

That, combined with evidence indicating Kent was possibly impaired, investigators obtained a search warrant for a blood sample, according to the news release.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release the name of the victim as of Thursday afternoon.

S-R reporter Nico Portuondo contributed to this article.