Tumwater man arrested in vehicular assault case

A 38-year-old Tumwater man was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion that he ran his vehicle into a woman in a parking lot this week.

Joseph D. Auckland appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon on Thursday afternoon, and bail was set at $50,000. Dixon found probable cause for one charge: vehicular assault.

“Vehicular assault is, by definition, a very serious crime,” Dixon said.

According to Tumwater Police Department documents, the suspect struck a woman with his vehicle in the Trosper Road Albertsons parking lot of Albertsons. He fled without stopping to check on her.

The victim suffered a fractured skull, a broken nose and other injuries, according to a police report. Tumwater police later identified the suspect, and arrested him at his Centralia workplace.

Deputy Prosecutor Carol La Verne said in court Thursday that the victim would be released from the hospital that afternoon, and currently needs 24-hour care.

“She’s in a great deal of pain,” La Verne said.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Tumwater man arrested in vehicular assault case."