PORT ANGELES — A Clallam County Superior Court judge on Monday set $500,000 bail for the man accused of ramming a car with four people inside into a power pole last week.
The judge raised the bail beyond the prosecutor’s request because, he said, the suspect had appeared before him on other charges less than an hour before the car-ramming incident.
Michael J. Moyle, 28, of Port Angeles, held in the Clallam County jail for investigation of four counts of first-degree assault and one count of hit and run, made his first court appearance Monday — less than 24 hours after he was arrested Sunday night.
He is accused of ramming a black Ford Mustang into a red Subaru sedan driven by Stewart Baker, 24, on residential South Laurel Street last Wednesday, then leaving the scene in a getaway truck driven by another man.
The most seriously injured was Stewart Baker’s son, 5-year-old Aaron Baker, who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with a head injury and broken leg. He had been discharged from the Seattle hospital by Saturday.
Stewart Baker, his mother, Tawny Baker, 48, and his daughter, Lavender Baker, 2, were treated and discharged from Olympic Medical Center on the day of the collision.
More details of the incident emerged Monday in court papers and other documents.
Port Angeles police said Moyle spotted the Subaru at the Port Angeles Albertsons supermarket parking lot and tried to ram the car in reverse.
Court papers allege that Moyle made a four-point turn — moving forward and backward twice to turn around — and then followed Stewart Baker’s sedan south on Laurel.
The impact from the collision at Laurel and Viewcrest Avenue — about a half-mile south of the Albertsons parking lot — pushed the Subaru 150 feet into the power pole, according to the certification for probable cause document.
Port Angeles police arrested Moyle at 8:29 p.m. Sunday inside a residence on the 1000 block of Craig Avenue, off Mount Angeles Road in southeast Port Angeles, where he had been staying.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly said she will file five felony counts against Moyle today.
Kelly said she will charge him with:
■ First-degree assault of a child, a Class A felony, or the alternative of vehicular assault, a Class B felony.
■ Two counts of second-degree assault or the alternative of vehicular assault. Both are Class B felonies.
■ Second-degree assault of a child or vehicular assault. Both are Class B felonies.
■ Hit-and-run injury accident, a Class C felony.
Moyle is scheduled to make another court appearance today at 1 p.m.
On Monday, Kelly requested a $350,000 bail based on probable cause and Moyle’s criminal record.
Kelly said Moyle had “five or six” prior warrants and an outstanding warrant in District Court for a misdemeanor charge.
He has two pending felony controlled-substances cases and six felony convictions, she said.
“Those include controlled-substances violations, second [degree] theft of a firearm, burglary in the second degree and juvenile assault in second degree,” Kelly said.
“There is a fair amount of misdemeanor history, most of which is misdemeanor trafficking.”
Defense attorney Harry Gasnick said he will make his bail argument today.
Judge S. Brooke Taylor said $500,000 bail — instead of Kelly’s requested $350,000 — was “appropriate” based on the probable cause.
“I also recall, Mr. Moyle, that you were in my courtroom Wednesday morning the 13th late,” Taylor said.
“I had just issued a bench warrant for you and you showed up late.
“The incident alleged here appeared to have occurred within an hour after you left this courtroom. That tells me that there is a substantial danger in having you released, both in terms of community safety and in terms of you appearing when you are supposed to.”
Moyle, wearing a black shirt, sat quietly during the brief bail hearing.
Should he post bail, Moyle’s travel would be restricted to Clallam County and he would be on a curfew.
He was also ordered to have no contact with the Baker family or with Timothy P. Smith, 27, the alleged getaway driver after the black Mustang stalled, presumably because of the collision.
Police on Saturday issued a temporary felony warrant for Smith, who is being investigated for first-degree rendering criminal assistance and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for a loaded handgun gun found in his truck.
Smith turned himself in and posted $50,000 bail on Friday.
Police said they have since found probable cause to investigate Smith for second-degree possession of stolen property and possession of methamphetamine.
Police said Smith was not present at his Cherry Street residence, as required by his bail conditions, on Saturday.
“At this point, we’re still looking for him,” Port Angeles Police Sgt. Barb McFall said Monday.
“We have a warrant. We’ll find him.”
McFall, who investigated the ramming as well as the Albertsons location, said it remains unclear why Moyle rammed the car that Stewart Baker was driving.
“Hopefully we’ll fill in the empty spots,” she said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
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