PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — A Pierce County jury has convicted Terry Kohl of reckless vehicular homicide and reckless vehicular assault for hitting two 12-year-old girls with a stolen vehicle last January in Parkland.
One was killed, and the other was severely injured during the incident.
Court documents say deputies found Immaculee Goldade and Kathleen Olson on 104th Street East near 25th Avenue East.
A 911 caller reported the two girls were hit by a large vehicle, which left the scene.
Goldade was pronounced deceased at the scene, and Olson was taken to the hospital to be treated for multiple injuries, including a lacerated liver.
Deputies learned that the vehicle was stolen and a tip led them to Terry Kohl. He faced eight charges for the hit-and-run and an earlier, related burglary.
On Thursday, he was found guilty on all charges. Kohl’s sentencing is scheduled for August 11. He faces up to 23 years in prison.
Court documents say that Kohl admitted to driving the vehicle that hit the two girls.
He told investigators that he had smoked methamphetamine early that morning, and he woke up right after the collision to the vehicle jostling and claimed he didn’t know he hit the two girls until two days later.
Sgt. Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department says deputies are finding more people driving under the influence.
“Our deputies are arresting more people because we’re finding more people passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle,” he said. “They pass out from them using drugs, and now they wake up and are driving around in a vehicle while they’re high, and it’s extremely dangerous for the rest of the community.”
In addition to an increase in DUI arrests, Moss says the county is also struggling to deal with an increase in vehicle thefts, and that a stolen vehicle is increasingly becoming part of a larger, more dangerous crime spree.
“The stolen vehicle is not just being used as a vehicle. It’s being used as a weapon, it’s being used as a tool to commit a burglary, it’s being used as a tool to evade capture for more serious crimes,” Moss said.
The Goldade family issued a statement to KING 5 that reads, “We are extremely grateful to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department for doing such a great job on this case and for the Pierce County Prosecutor Liz Dasse, who worked tirelessly to help bring justice for Immaculee, Kathleen, and all the other victims."
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