Continuance in trial proceedings was granted for the seventh time in the ongoing case of The State of Washington vs. Nicholas Windsor Anderson.
Anderson, age 38 at the time of an auto crash near Muckleshoot Casino, is charged with four counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and one count of vehicular assault while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle was traveling at speeds estimated at 50 miles per hour above the posted 35 mph speed limit on Auburn Way South when it “missed a slight curve,” left the road on the north side, and slammed into three power utility boxes and guy wire cables. It entirely uprooted a tree about 18-inches in diameter. The vehicle was described in charging papers as “total catastrophic damage to interior and undercarriage, except for the actual driver’s seat. The vehicle’s interior was gone.”
Killed “within seconds” were Suzanne McCay, age 29, of Ravensdale; Caleb Graham, 23, of Enumclaw; Andy Tedford, age 31, of Maple Valley; and Rehlein Stone, age 21, of Auburn. James Vaccaro, age 23, sustained life-threatening injuries in the crash.
Monday, December 12, 2016 is the seventh trial date that has been set since the crash occurred on October 25, 2014. The current delay was accepted by the presiding judge “in the administration of justice” when defense attorney, John Ewers, asked for continuance due to his surgery for a collapsed lung. The continuance date now for pre-trial hearing proceedings is Monday, Dec. 12 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center. Jury selection is expected to start in January 2017. Anderson remains jailed in Kent.
