Teen driver admitted to being intoxicated after crash that killed Mark Morris High School student, officials say
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- After a teen was killed in a rollover crash near Kelso back in April, officials say the 19-year-old driver of the SUV involved is now accused of vehicular homicide. The night of April 18, Elden Ragsdale, 18, was pronounced dead after emergency responders found him trapped under a 1994 Toyota 4Runner at the intersection of Maranatha Road and Rose Valley Road. Ragsdale, a Longview resident, was a senior at Mark Morris High School. The 19-year-old driver, Jacob Manecke Jr., remained on scene and cooperated with deputies as they investigated the crash, officials said. Three other passengers, all under the age of 18, were driven to a local hospital. According to the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office, further investigation found Manecke was speeding on Maranatha Road as he was being pursued by an individual on an ATV. Deputies interviewed the ATV driver, who said the SUV had been speeding by his house. He then tried to get the SUV's license plate, but lost sight of it. At the time of the crash, Ragsdale had not been wearing a seatbelt and was "partially ejected" from the SUV when it rolled over, deputies said. When deputies noticed "an odor of intoxicants" coming from the SUV, they conducted a Preliminary Breath Test on Manecke, which found signs of alcohol consumption. Officials say he also admitted to having consumed alcohol. Deputies then obtained a warrant and conducted a blood draw on Manecke, which came back positive for ethanol and THC. On Tuesday, Manecke was charged with vehicular homicide and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail.
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