Omnibus hearing examines sides in upcoming trial

Preparations for a jury trial continue in the auto crash killing of four local young people and near-fatal injuries to a fifth person. Nicholas W. Anderson, age 38, who had recently moved from Oregon to Washington, is charged with four counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and one count of vehicular assault while driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Anderson entered a plea of not guilty for the October 25, 2014 crash. In lieu of posting $750,000 for bail, Anderson remains jailed in Kent.

Coming up in the sequence of court proceedings is an omnibus hearing next week on Friday, July 24 at 8:30 a.m., at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.

Killed in the early morning crash were Suzanne McCay, age 29, and Andy Tedford, age 31, who were both Tahoma High School graduates; Rehlein Stone, 21, of Auburn; and Caleb Graham, 23, of Enumclaw. James Vaccaro, age 23, who sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash, has been interviewed and will most likely appear at the trial set for Tuesday, Sept. 1. Vaccaro and Stone were twins – to Jacob and Liz.

Omnibus hearings are used to determine if defense and prosecution are prepared to proceed; whether witness interviews have satisfactorily concluded with evidence and materials shared; and if all conditions are favorable for the jury process to continue as scheduled. Due to the amount of casualties, extent of injury, and catastrophic nature of the crash, a second prosecutor, Susan Harrison, is assisting King County Prosecutor Amy Freedheim. The status of Anderson’s public defenders has also changed.

The defendant was unknown to four of the victims. He was contacted for a ride from Enumclaw by Stone who knew him circumstantially. Anderson took a sport coupe, 1995 Nissan 300ZX, and left Des Moines with his dog. The vehicle was traveling from Enumclaw to Auburn at speeds estimated at 50 miles per hour above the posted 35 mph speed limit near 3702 Auburn Way South. It entered a slight curve just south of Muckleshoot Casino, left the road on the north side and slammed into three power utility boxes, guy wire cables, and entirely uprooted a tree about 18-inches in diameter.

“The vehicle had total catastrophic damage to its interior and undercarriage, except for the actual driver’s seat. The vehicle’s interior was gone,” according to charging papers that also noted it looked like an explosion had occurred. The front end of the vehicle was held to the back end only by the driver’s door latch. The four fatalities occurred within seconds. With life-threatening injury, Vaccaro was transported to Harborview. The dog was euthanized due to the severity of its injuries. Anderson sustained an arm injury and was also transported to Harborview. At his first court appearance, Anderson was described as a flight risk, a grave danger to the community, and a habitual vehicular offender. His record includes offenses in Washington, Oregon, Florida and Alabama.