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Prosecutors say man who allegedly ran over and killed 2 at Washougal beach was driving drunk

David E. Croswell, 71, of Washougal, has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run.

WASHOUGAL, Wash. — A man who ran over two German nationals on a beach in Washougal, killing both, was driving drunk, according to Clark County prosecutors.

David E. Croswell, 71, of Washougal, has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run resulting in death.

Croswell's son-in-law called police after he learned of a suspect vehicle description of a Jeep that matched the one driven by Croswell. Police went to Croswell's home and found a Jeep with damage consistent with parts left behind at the hit-and-run scene.

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Police do not believe the driver knew the victims, 61-year-old Rudolf Hohstadt and 62-year-old Regina Hohstadt, or had any contact with them before the incident.

The victims suffered critical injuries and died at a nearby hospital. Police said they were German nationals who had arrived in the United States a few days ago and were visiting family in the Portland metro area.

At around 4:50 p.m., Croswell left the roadway in the 550 block North Shepard Road, the entrance to Sandy Swimming Hole Park, the probable cause statement read.

Credit: Washougal police
Sandy Swimming Hole

He went through a parking lot, hit a chain link fence, went down a 30-foot embankment to the beach area, hitting the sunbathing pair. He then turned back to the parking lot and a paved roadway, which was blocked by a metal gate.

He tried to drive around the gate, running over sign and post before going back into the parking lot, then back onto Shepard Road. Left behind were a partial front grill, paint chips, bits of plastic and metal shavings.

The son-in-law went to Croswell's house after hearing a description of the vehicle in the incident. He realized the Jeep damage matched what police had released and he called 911, the statement read.

Investigators spoke with Croswell at his home, who admitted to driving the Jeep to the park and striking people, the statement said. Croswell's breath had the strong scent of alcohol. He said he had been at a bar before driving to the park.

Croswell said he had not had a drink since leaving the park. Due to disabilities, police were not able to submit to a full field sobriety test. He registered a blood-alcohol level of .085, some four hours after the hit-and-run.

KGW's Mike Benner reported the Jeep was found east of the park.

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