Oak Harbor vehicle assault suspect balks at guilty plea

A 22-year-old Oak Harbor man accused of vehicular assault in an alcohol-related accident will not be pleading guilty after all, according to court documents. Reysan Reyes was scheduled to accept a plea bargain at a hearing in Island County Superior Court May 27, but instead he asked for a new attorney.

A 22-year-old Oak Harbor man accused of vehicular assault in an alcohol-related accident will not be pleading guilty after all, according to court documents.

Reysan Reyes was scheduled to accept a plea bargain at a hearing in Island County Superior Court May 27, but instead he asked for a new attorney.

Prosecutors charged Reyes March 17 with two counts of vehicular assault in connection with an accident two days before Christmas.

Detective Craig Cardinal with the Washington State Patrol investigated the accident. According to his report, Reyes was driving his two friends home in a 1999 Audi when the accident occurred on Madrona Way near Coupeville. Reyes had been drinking at a Christmas party at the Mad Crab restaurant, the report states.

Reyes admitted that he was driving over the speed limit of 35 mph when he lost control at a curve, Cardinal wrote. The car crossed into the other lane, hit an embankment and rolled onto the driver’s side.

Reyes was pinned inside the car and the two passengers were injured. One man suffered a fractured left arm, several fractured vertebrae and had to have his spleen removed; the other man received fractures to his left eye orbital bone, the report indicates.

Reyes’ blood alcohol level was tested at 0.14, which is above the legal limit at 0.08.

If convicted of the charges against him, Reyes would face a standard sentencing range of a year to 14 months in prison.