18-year-old Rainier man arrested for vehicular homicide
A 17-year-old girl was killed in a car crash in Thurston County in March.
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A man Rainier was Arrested for murder car and driving under the influence after a 17-year-old female passenger was killed in a collision in March, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) said Wednesday.
The 18-year-old male was found to have 4.7 ng/mL THC in his blood at the time of impact in a laboratory analysis. Alcohol was suspected to be involved in the crash based on eyewitness testimony, but TCSO said no alcohol was detected in the man’s blood.
On March 4, authorities responded to a fatal collision between two cars on Rainier Road Southeast. The TCSO investigation revealed that Rainier’s vehicle lost control as it approached a bend and veered into the oncoming lane. His car was hit on the passenger side by another vehicle driven by a 24-year-old woman.
The 17-year-old girl, identified by friends and family as Jessie Uch, was in the passenger side of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. The 18-year-old driver of the vehicle was eventually transported to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries, while the driver of the other vehicle was taken to Providence St. Peter with non-life threatening injuries.
Uch is a student at Rainier High School, and a few of her close friends told KING 5 in March about the fun life she’s lived.
“Whenever someone needs help, she says, ‘I’ve got a friend,’ and she has a sassy attitude,” says Alisha Adamski.
Mariah Frost, Uch’s cheer coach, said: “She’s a very talented cheerleader, very talented.
Frost said Uch’s talent blossomed during her senior year.
“She was nominated for an all-American challenge, which most cheerleaders don’t try because it’s too difficult. She tried and joined.
She has won prestigious awards and is the leader of the team.
Frost said: “These girls have been cheering with Jessie for years, so this really weighs on their hearts.
Uch plans to go to college with her best friends. Gabrielle Green said the girls plan to become dorm buddies and have already started shopping together.
“She’s going to major in business, and she’s going to try her hand at the cheerleaders of East Washington,” Green said.
“I’m pretty sure she’ll make it,” Frost said. She is very talented and very excited. I know there was a time not long ago when she wasn’t even sure she was going to college. So when I see her excited about it, I’m glad I had that opportunity.”
Although it will never be the same, they will make sure that Uch’s name will continue to live on.
“The most we can really do at this point is remember who she is and what she’s done for us,” Adamski said.
