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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Public safety officials ask state to investigate Grant County sheriff ... Gun background-check bill clears Oregon House, heads to Senate ... Washington man jailed after fatal crash in Ashland ... Public safety officials ask state to investigate Grant County sheriff ... Gun background-check bill clears Oregon House, heads to Senate ... Washington man jailed after fatal crash in Ashland ... ARREST Washington man jailed after fatal crash in Ashland Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 12:14 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 4:46 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 12:14 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 4:46 PM » Social News A Washington man allegedly high on hallucinogens crashed his speeding van early this morning in Ashland, killing one of his passengers and landing himself in jail on manslaughter charges that could lead to 10 years in prison, police said. Ryan Bowker, 18, of Port Orchard, Wash., was pronounced dead at the scene of the 1:15 a.m. crash near the intersection of Siskiyou Boulevard and Walker Avenue, according to the Ashland Police Department. The driver of the vehicle, Brandon Morlok, 21, of Bainbridge Island, Wash., was arrested on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter and driving under the influence of a controlled substance, police said. A second, unidentified passenger suffered minor injuries, police said. Under Oregon's minimum-sentencing laws, first-degree manslaughter carries a mandatory 10-year prison sentence upon conviction. A conviction on a second-degree manslaughter charges carries a mandatory minimum sentence of more than six years. Ashand police Chief Tighe O'Meara said the suspected controlled substance involved in the crash was a hallucinogen, but he declined to be more specific today. "Hallucinogen is the general category we're looking at right now," O'Meara said. O'Meara said the trio have no ties to Southern Oregon and were headed from the San Francisco Bay Area toward Washington when they exited Interstate 5 at milepost 11 and headed into Ashland at a high rate of speed. "I don't know why they decided to get off I-5," O'Meara said. "Given the general state of clarity in the van, they might not know why they got off." Witnesses said the van was heading north on Siskiyou Boulevard at well over the posted speed limit of 30 mph when it crashed into a utility pole at the Walker Avenue interchange near Southern Oregon University, police said. Bowker, who was in a rear seat of the van at the time of impact, was ejected from the vehicle, police said. Morlok and the other passenger sustained injuries that police described as nonserious. The Jackson County Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction team was called in to investigate, as was a drug-recognition expert, police said. Morlok was being held Monday in the Jackson County Jail on more than $2 million bail. Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 22, 2016 at 12:14 PM Updated Feb 22, 2016 at 4:46 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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