Man facing vehicular homicide charge for fiery Bellingham collision that killed one
.jpg "A car burns after a fatal collision at 9:44 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, in the 4200 block of Meridian Street in Bellingham. Teofilo Garcia Uribe, 36, of Kent, was charged in Whatcom County Superior Court with vehicular homicide and hit and run for the crash.")
The 36-year-old Kent resident who is accused of hitting and killing one person after their car erupted into flames due to the high-speed collision this weekend in Bellingham is facing a homicide charge.
Teofilo Garcia Uribe was charged Jan. 9 in Whatcom County Superior Court with one count of vehicular homicide and one count of hit and run of a fatality accident, both of which are felonies.
Uribe is accused of driving a white Dodge Ram Friday, Jan. 6 that hit a Saturn Ion, which burst into flames and killed the driver, and leaving the scene. As of Thursday afternoon, the driver of the Saturn Ion had not been formally identified to media by law enforcement.
Uribe’s bail was set at $1 million at his first appearance in court on Jan. 9. He currently remains incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham.
If Uribe bonds out of jail, he is not allowed to drive, to consume intoxicants of any kind or leave Whatcom County as part of his release conditions.
His arraignment has been scheduled for Jan. 20. The maximum penalty for the charged crimes is 20 years to life in prison with a $50,000 fine, according to court records.
Around 9:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, Bellingham police responded to the intersection of Meridian Street and East Kellogg Road in Bellingham for a vehicle collision involving a car on fire.
While officers were enroute, they were advised that a white Dodge Ram was seen by city traffic cameras colliding into a red Saturn Ion, which was on fire in the intersection, according to court records.
Both vehicles were traveling southbound on Meridian Street at the time of the collision, Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy previously told The Bellingham Herald.
City traffic cameras showed the Dodge Ram traveling at a high rate of speed consistent with highway speeds before it rear-ended the Saturn Ion with enough force to push the Saturn Ion from the 4300 block to the 4200 block of Meridian Street — more than 100 yards, the court records state.
Once the Dodge Ram struck the Saturn Ion, it burst into flames, court records show.
While the Saturn Ion burned, the Dodge Ram continued to push the Saturn Ion southbound on Meridian Street until the Dodge Ram reached the intersection with East Kellogg Road. The Dodge Ram was then seen by city traffic cameras and nearby witnesses speeding left onto East Kellogg Road, the records state.
The driver was the sole occupant of the Saturn Ion. The person became trapped inside and probable cause for vehicular homicide was established due to the extent of destruction and damage caused to the person by the flames inside the vehicle, the court records show.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies found the Dodge Ram in the 700 block of East Kellogg Road and stopped the vehicle. The driver, who was identified as Uribe, exited the vehicle and was detained seconds later, the court records state.
Uribe allegedly admitted to sheriff’s deputies that he had been drinking alcohol. When a Bellingham police officer arrived, the officer noticed Uribe’s eyes were watery and bloodshot and the officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Uribe’s breath, according to court records.
Uribe declined to take voluntary field sobriety tests, records show.
A witness from a nearby gas station was brought to the scene and positively identified Uribe as the driver of the Dodge Ram that hit the Saturn Ion, the court records state.
This story was originally published January 12, 2023 at 12:39 PM.
