Woman charged in Roy crash that killed 3 and injured 2



TACOMA, Wash. – A woman was charged Tuesday after a crash in Roy earlier this month that killed three people and hurt two more.

Amber Mae Smithlin, 36, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault. Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist alleges that she had been drinking when she ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of SR 702 and 8th Ave.

"Drinking and driving endangers everyone on our roads,” Lindquist said.

Two people from the other vehicle died at the scene: 57-year-old Dong Ki and 58-year-old Kyung Lee. Kum Ki, 70, died at the hospital. Smithlin’s 5-year-old son, who was in the van she was driving, is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

A “non-evidentiary portable blood test” showed Smithlin’s blood-alcohol content was at .11 at the hospital after the crash. Several witnesses told police she was swerving as she approached the intersection.  Her Dodge Caravan hit the Toyota Rav-4, causing it to flip, then hit a utility pole.

Smithlin’s bail was set at $750,000.

The crash ignited a fire in the brush near the intersection that spread to 10 acres.