An early morning crash on State Route 6 in Raymond landed a man in the Pacific County Jail for vehicular assault. The incident happened near the intersection of Willapa Avenue and Henkle Street at 1:57 a.m. on Feb. 21.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene after a man turning a corner lost control and went into a ditch, causing significant damage to his pickup truck. A passenger inside the vehicle sustained facial injuries from the impact.

According to court records, the Raymond Police Department was one of the first emergency responders on the scene and discovered a male, identified as Christian N. Chavez, 20, who had the smell of intoxicants emitting from him and had watery eyes.

“[Officer Brittany] Stigall also witnessed the father of the driver pulling open containers of beer out of the vehicle and trying to hide them in the surrounding bush,” Pacific County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Piper Rutzer states in court records.

“Stigall tried to make contact with one of the female passengers, but she would not speak. Later, Stigall shined her light on the female and realized she was bleeding from her face,” Rutzer added.

The woman was transported to Willapa Harbor Hospital with a serious head injury.

“Stigall searched the surrounding area and found cases of Coors and Corona beer, opened and unopened bottles,” Rutzer states. “The driver admitted to Stigall that he had ‘about 4 beers’ and ‘thought he was good to drive.’”

“The driver could not explain how he drove off the road,” Rutzer added.

Rutzer reportedly searched around the vehicle, discovering the smell of beer and open bottles inside the truck and inside its bed.

Washington State Patrol Trooper Timothy J. Cunningham also responded to the scene at the request of Stigall and conducted a field sobriety test on Chavez, in which he reportedly observed six of six clues signaling impairment.

“Christian consented to a [Prager Breathalyzer Test] where he blew a .153,” Rutzer states.

The test was completed at approximately 4:50 a.m., nearly three hours after the crash.

Chavez was subsequently arrested and booked into the county jail for vehicular assault. The charge can be filed when a driver is alleged to have been under the influence of a vehicle that caused a person’s injury.

He appeared for a preliminary hearing in Pacific Count Superior Court on Feb. 21 and was released without bail.