Bail set at $100,000 for Ilwaco man in connection with fatal crash
May 14-A judge Wednesday ordered $100,000 bail for an Ilwaco man who surrendered to detectives the day before in connection with an August fatal crash in east Clark County.
Matthew Kenne, 20, appeared via Zoom from the county jail, wearing a suicide-prevention smock. He is facing allegations of vehicular homicide and minor in possession of alcohol in Clark County Superior Court.
Defense attorney Jeri Simmons told Judge Tsering Cornell "there are no winners in this situation. This is a very tragic and unfortunate circumstance." Simmons said Kenne lost his best friend, 18-year-old Nicholas Ortiz, in the crash.
Although Cornell said she was sympathetic to Kenne, she agreed with the prosecution that he poses a threat to the community. In addition to bail, she ordered Kenne to not drive and to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet if he is released.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office, Camas Police Department and Camas-Washougal Fire Department responded shortly after midnight Aug. 2 to reports of a crash on Northeast Reilly Road. The 911 caller told operators a blue 2013 Jeep Patriot had crashed broadside into a large tree on his property, according to court records.
The caller checked on the Jeep's occupants and found the passenger, Ortiz, unresponsive. Kenne was in the driver's seat. The caller's wife told police she heard Kenne say he had been drinking earlier, court records state.
First responders extricated Ortiz from the car and performed life-saving measures, but he died at the scene. Kenne was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for his injuries, according to court records.
Investigators interviewed Kenne at the hospital. He told deputies he was driving 35 to 40 mph and had swerved to avoid a deer in the road. He believed the crash happened off Mount Vernon Road near Washougal River Road. Deputies noted that location was approximately 7 1/2 miles away from the crash site, according to court records.
Kenne reportedly told investigators he had been drinking the afternoon before. He declined to take a breath test. Investigators obtained a search warrant for a sample of his blood for toxicology testing. Testing later showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.095, court records state. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 is considered evidence of drunken driving.
Investigators said they found multiple empty cans of alcohol, empty containers of cannabis joints and a small bottle of cannabis wax, according to court records.
Speed data from the Jeep showed it was traveling between 67 and 72 mph about 3 seconds before it hit the large tree, according to court records. The posted speed limit in the area is 50 mph.
Deputies said Kenne failed to negotiate the curve in the road and that evidence at the scene did not support that he had swerved for a deer, court records state.
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