PORT TOWNSEND — A Quilcene man who crashed his car, injuring both himself and his 4-year-old riding in the back seat March 31, has been charged with vehicular assault and driving under the influence.
Kevin Patrick Sterling, 33, who was charged Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court, remained in the Jefferson County jail on a $50,000 bond Saturday.
Sterling is scheduled for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St.
Sterling was traveling north on Center Road when his car veered out of his lane and across the other lane, slid into a 100-yard skid, hit the side of a driveway that extended across a ditch and flew over the driveway and through about 50 feet of brush before hitting trees in a wooded area 20 feet off the road, Jefferson County deputies and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue personnel have said.
Both Sterling and his daughter, identified as Kylie C. Sterling in a police probable-cause statement, were found thrown from the car.
Law enforcement calculations made subsequent to the wreck estimated that his speed was 92.2 mph.
Both Sterling and the child were seriously injured and were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where they were treated for three days.
Sterling’s daughter is now in foster care, said Assistant District Attorney Chris Ashcraft.
During the wreck, the child was strapped into a car seat in the middle of the vehicle’s rear seat, rescue personnel said.
According to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue personnel, the car’s roof slammed against two trees before it stopped, leaving a groove in the roof that was big enough for Kylie Sterling’s head.
Had she been seated on either side, she would have been killed, rescue personnel said.
According to the charging documents, Sterling tested positive for opiates, cannabinoids (marijuana), benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medicine) and Methadone at the time of the accident.
Sterling appeared at Friday’s hearing through a video link from the Jefferson County jail.
He answered questions with “Yes” and “No comment,” often grimacing as he listened and spoke.
Ashcraft, in requesting a $50,000 bond — which was granted by Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser — said Sterling has more than 20 prior convictions on various drug and assault charges.
Verser overruled Sterling’s attorney, Nathan Poston, who said Sterling was “a longtime resident of the community who does not pose any flight risk who is trying to turn himself around.”
Poston said Sterling could return to his job if he were released from jail.
Verser denied Poston’s request, stating, “These are very serious charges.”
Ashcraft met with Kylie Sterling in a supervised visit last week to see if he could get more information about the crash but was unsuccessful.
“She was just a very sweet little girl who wanted to talk about Winnie the Pooh,” Ashcraft said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
