Hit-and-run charge in crash that killed woman near Fife. Is vehicular homicide next?
A 20-year-old man was charged Thursday with failing to remain at an accident resulting in death for his alleged role in an Interstate 5 wreck that left a Tacoma woman dead.
A charge of vehicular homicide still is possible for Andriy Myronets pending further investigation, Pierce County deputy prosecutor Joe Scovel wrote in charging documents.
A not guilty plea was entered on Myronets’ behalf at his arraignment in Superior Court on Thursday. Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $50,000.
State troopers believe the Kent man was at the wheel of a BMW that hit motorcyclist Morgan Baker in the northbound lanes of I-5 near Fife about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. Baker, 38, was thrown from her motorcycle and died at the scene, court records show.
The BMW drove off but was found on its top about a mile from the original collision, troopers said. The driver was not inside. Troopers later stopped a black Mercedes in the area. The driver told them he was Myronets’ cousin and had been called to the scene to give him a ride, court records show.
Video surveillance troopers obtained from a nearby convenience store showed a man matching Myronets’ description some time later, court records show. The person in the video was not wearing a shirt and appeared to be injured.
Several hours later, an attorney called WSP to make arrangements for Myronets to turn himself in, court records show, and he was arrested outside the attorney’s office and booked into the Pierce County Jail.
Myronets has no previous felony convictions, according to court records.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 1:25 PM.
