Newport man faces manslaughter, DUII charges in fatal crash
A Newport man was arrested upon release from the hospital on Sunday on second-degree manslaughter, drunken driving and other charges in a crash Saturday on U.S. Highway 20 that killed his passenger, Oregon State Police said.
Troopers and other emergency personnel responded just before 6 p.m. Thursday to the reported single-vehicle crash on Highway 20 near milepost 2.
A preliminary investigation found that Michael John Craycraft, 52, was driving a 1978 Jeep CJ5 heading east on the highway when he lost control of the Jeep, which spun off the south side of the road and struck an embankment, OSP said.
Passenger Rhawnie Lynn Harp, 40, of Waldport, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. Troopers said she was taken by ambulance to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport, where she died of her injuries.
Craycraft also was taken to the hospital, where he was admitted overnight due to his injuries. OSP reported that hospital tests found Craycraft’s blood-alcohol level was over Oregon’s .08 legal limit.
Upon release from the hospital on Sunday, Craycraft was placed under arrest and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on charges of second-degree manslaughter, DUII, reckless driving and reckless endangering. He was being held on $250,000 bail, jail records showed.
The crash and investigation reduced Highway 20 to one lane for about three hours. OSP was assisted at the scene by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, ODOT, PACWEST Ambulance and the Newport Fire Department.
