The driver, who staggered away from this outer East Portland wreck, now faces many charges – including manslaughter …
Police close down the intersection of SE 122nd Avenue at Division Street, when a reported-stolen car crashes into a steel utility pole in the Hazelwood neighborhood.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
On patrol on March 9 about 11:00 p.m., a Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officer spotted a reported-stolen 2004 Subaru Legacy being operated outside the law near SE 124th Avenue and Sherman Street – which is a long residential block north of SE Division Street.
The officer turned on the emergency lights – and, instead of stopping, the driver of the Subaru took off.
he PPB Major Crash Team van arrives at the scene and investigators begin their analysis of the scene.
“The vehicle fled to the north, then to the west; the officer did not pursue the vehicle,” said a PPB spokesperson. “Shortly after losing sight of the car, it was found crashed into a pole at the intersection of SE Division Street and 122nd Avenue.”
The driver of the car, 26-year-old Adam Alexander Valle, reportedly took off running, leaving his passenger behind in the badly-wrecked Subaru; 19 year-old Heaven Leigh “Heavenly” Mathews died in the crash.
Crash Team investigators use their Total Station surveying equipment to document the scene.
Officers found Valle approximately one block away from the scene of the crash; he was arrested and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 5:51 a.m. on March 10 on charges of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Failure to Perform the Duties of a Driver, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, and Reckless Driving.
Into the night, investigators look into this deadly crash.
A probable cause affidavit filed by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office at his arraignment spelled out the details of the incident.
“The impact was so significant that half of the entire vehicle was impaled by the pole,” Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Elisabeth Waner stated in the affidavit.
26-year-old Adam Alexander Valle faces a felony Manslaughter indictment, and other criminal charges.
According to the affidavit, when paramedics told Valle that he had been involved in a crash and that his passenger had died, Valle started laughing.
Court documents also stated that Valle had said that he had been awake for “either four or five days”, without sleep, and had been using methamphetamine.
Valle’s next court date is scheduled for March 19; but for now, he remains in custody at MCDC in lieu of $275,000 combined bail.
© 2019 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™