Olympia man may face charges in crash that left 2 badly injured
A Thurston County judge set bail at $40,000 for a 26-year-old Olympia man suspected of driving under the influence of drugs and colliding with another vehicle in west Olympia on Tuesday.
Michael A. Kreutz appeared before Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price on Thursday. The judge found probable cause for two counts of vehicular assault, one count of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and one count of third-degree driving while license suspended.
According to the Olympia Police Department, the collision occured at about 11 a.m. Tuesday on Capital Mall Drive Southwest, near the intersection with Alta Street. Police said Kreutz struck a pickup truck carrying two passengers while driving his red 2013 Toyota Camry.
The male driver of the truck had to be extracted from the vehicle, and suffered broken leg bones, spleen injuries and neck injuries. The woman passenger suffered a broken back, six broken ribs and a broken foot, according to court documents.
Officers said Kreutz admitted at the scene that he took Percocet earlier that day. Police officers observed that he had a hard time staying awake, his eyes were droopy, his reactions seemed slow, and his speech was slurred, according to court documents.
While at the hospital, Kreutz told a police officer that he had used marijuana, Aderall and Xanax within the past 24 hours, according to court documents.
Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Graham said that at the time of his arrest, Kreutz was on probation for a 2015 Thurston County District Court conviction for driving under the influence. He asked that bail be set at $50,000.
But Office of Assigned Counsel attorney Eric Pilon argued that bail should be set at $10,000 because Kreutz has a short criminal history.
Price noted the short time between the 2015 conviction and the current allegation and set bail at $40,000.
Amelia Dickson: 360-754-5445, @Amelia_Oly
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Olympia man may face charges in crash that left 2 badly injured."