A man has been charged with drunk driving, which caused 2 crashes and 1 fatality. Jonathan Misghina Mender, a 21-year-old, has been charged with allegedly driving recklessly under the influence and without a proper license, which caused the death of a man.
On August 10th, Jonathan Mender was driving his SUV on 140th Way SE in Renton, Washington. He was speeding and took a turn too quickly, making a wide turn into Maple Valley Highway and hitting an oncoming car head-on. After this crash, he briefly got out of his car but then sped off without getting the other driver’s information. The other driver had minor injuries. As he was speeding off, he was allegedly seen on a dashcam weaving in and out of traffic, nearly causing other cars to crash too. He drove into the oncoming lanes again to try to pass traffic and then hit another vehicle. He lost control of his SUV and collided with an oncoming car. The driver in the second car tried to brake and lessen the impact, but it was impossible because of the speed Mender was going at. Mender got out of his car to wait for the police, and the driver of the Fiat, Jim Laremore, had to be cut out of the car. Mender denied any alcohol or drug usage, but when the blood test came back a month later, the results showed .22, nearly 3 times the legal limit. According to the forensic blood draw, it indicated the use of alcohol, marijuana, opiates, and fentanyl as well.
Mender has pleaded not guilty. He has been charged with vehicular homicide, reckless driving, hit and run, driving while under the influence, and no valid operator’s license. His bail has been set to $75,000…