Robert Malsch, a 21-year-old man from Lynnwood who pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide, hit-and-run felony and reckless driving in Redmond in February 2015, failed to appear for his trial on Monday, according to King County Superior Court documents.
The court issued a bench warrant in State of Washington vs. Robert James Malsch for his arrest, and bail on the warrant is $150,000. The defendant had been out of custody after posting bond, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
According to the Redmond Police Department (RPD) Twitter, officers are searching for Malsch. If anyone has information on his whereabouts, call 1-800-222-TIPS.
A Reporter story noted that Malsch was involved in a two-car collision early Feb. 28, 2015, which resulted in the death of the driver in the other car. The other driver was identified as Michael Ey.
According to court documents, the defendant’s attorneys are withdrawing as his counsel of record. Their notice is based on: As a bench warrant has been issued, the case is no longer set for trial. Documents note that the defendant has failed throughout the pendency of this case to communicate with counsel, and he left court without notifying counsel on the morning of the trial.
A RPD spokesperson said Malsch was traveling at a high speed and rear-ended Ey, whose vehicle was stopped at a traffic light off State Route 520 and Avondale Road.
Malsch took two blood tests at Harborview Medical Center, one of which was sent to the Washington State Toxicology laboratory and one that revealed his blood-alcohol level to be approximately three times the legal limit of .08, court documents state.
Malsch was transported to Harborview for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to court documents, a witness driver estimated that Malsch was driving at “100-plus mph” on SR 520 — which has a posted 60-mph speed limit — and nearly hit his vehicle prior to the collision, which took place in a 40-mph zone. It is not clear how fast Malsch was driving at the time of the accident.
