A hearing will be held to determine whether the driver in Sunday’s fatal car crash will be charged as an adult.

Todd Dowell, senior deputy prosecutor with the Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said that the hearing was required since Class A felony charges had been filed.

The alleged driver, Marcus Allen McKay, 17, of Bremerton, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide during an initial appearance at the Kitsap County Superior Court Juvenile Division on Monday.

Deputy Scott Wilson with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said the hearing is set for 9 a.m. on Jan. 26 at Kitsap County Superior Court. McKay has been released into the custody of his parents on his own personal recognizance with conditions regarding his freedom of movement and conduct, he said.

Wilson said he still had a lot of investigation work to do including interviews and crash reconstruction.

“We’re only into day one,” he said of the investigation.

Wilson said the Sheriff’s Office was investigating whether drugs or alcohol was a factor in the crash.

“We’re looking into that,” Wilson said.

He said there was enough evidence for the Sheriff’s Office to develop probable cause to ask a judge for a warrant to do a blood draw. The results of the blood draw are pending completion of toxicology tests at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.

According to King 5 News, a county prosecutor alleged McKay had smoked marijuana one hour prior to the crash, and was speeding 75 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the crash.

Wilson could not verify the prosecutor’s allegations.

Wilson said no traffic citations had been issued.

Crash after a curve

According to the Sheriff’s Office, McKay and three other teenagers had just left a party being held in the area when the crash occurred.

Luther James Wiggins-Stoudermire, 18, from the East Bremerton area of Central Kitsap, was riding in the front passenger seat of the 1996 Toyota Corolla four-door sedan.

Kassidy Miranda Clark, 16, from the East Bremerton area of Central Kitsap, and Jenna M. Farley, 14, from the Rocky Point area of Bremerton, were sitting in the back seat.

Wilson said the car was traveling northbound near the 6600 block of Seabeck–Holly Road NW when it came to a slight turn in the road.

“It’s not a sharp, hairpin curve. It’s a very gradual turn,” Wilson said.

McKay lost control of the vehicle when he came out of the curve. The vehicle drifted off the pavement and onto the shoulder. The vehicle was nearly parallel with the road, but angled slightly as the right side of the vehicle began to go over the embankment of a drainage ditch which had recently been cleared of vegetation. The vehicle then struck an earthen driveway access.

“It hit that driveway and the car went airborne,” Wilson said. He wasn’t certain how high the vehicle went, but it struck a tree on the passenger side as it came down. The impact caused the vehicle to spin around its axis, roll over and came to rest on its top.

The three passengers were declared deceased at the scene of the crash. Wiggins-Stoudermire was not wearing a seat belt. Clark and Farley were ejected from the rear windows and Wilson said he did not know for certain if they were wearing seat belts properly or not.

McKay was wearing a seat belt and survived the crash. He was treated at Harrison Medical Center and then booked in Kitsap County Youth Services Center (juvenile detention).

Persons with information about the crash are asked to contact Deputy Andrew Aman, sheriff’s traffic unit, at 360-337-4634.

‘Seat belts save lives’

“Seat belts save lives,” Wilson said.

When a vehicle comes to a sudden stop due to a crash and an occupant is not belted, “You are now a missile inside the compartment of that car because there’s nothing to keep you in your seat. In all likelihood you’re going to impact the windshield,” Wilson said.

“The importance of wearing seat belts has been proven thousands of times over the course of motor vehicle operations throughout the world.”

1996 Corolla given four stars in government crash test

A government crash test of the 1996 Toyota Corolla show the vehicle was given four out of a possible five stars for safety for both the driver and passenger in 35 mph frontal crashes. The crash test did not rate the vehicle for rollovers or side impacts, however.