Suspect detained in fatal hit-and-run accident

As the tragic death of Walter Damien was mourned with a funeral dinner at the Swinomish Gym Monday night, Tribal Police were investigaing who was responsible for the hit-and-run accident that killed the 51-year-old man last weekend on Indian Road.

By night’s end, Swinomish officers and detectives had taken into custody a suspect and seized the vehicle believed to have struck Damien, who had been walking home from a friend’s house when struck around 1:30 Sunday morning.

Leslie Rae Topaum, 44, was booked into Skagit County Jail late Monday and held without bail on investigation of hit-and-run and manslaughter, said Swinomish Police Lt. Earl Cowan.

Tuesday Police were seeking a search warrant for the suspect’s vehicle, Cowan said.

A car part found at the accident scene led Swinomish Police and the Washington State Patrol to seek a 2001-2005 model Honda Civic.

Detectives spent Monday checking the area for vehicles that matched that description. Sometime between 6:30 and 7 p.m., at the time the Damien funeral dinner was taking place, police located a car that appeared a match.

That, in turn, led them to the suspect.

In speaking to La Conner Weekly News Tuesday morning, Cowan noted the sensitive nature of the case, alluding to its impact upon multiple local families and stressing that the suspect is considered innocent until proved guilty.

Damien is remembered by friends and family for his friendly, easy-going nature. An avid walker, he had recently given away his reflective jacket to another person needing protection from cold weather. He is said to have been hesitant to walk the relatively narrow Indian Road after dark, yet declined his friend’s offer to stay overnight from Saturday to Sunday.

He was hit about a quarter-mile from his home.

Damien’s body was discovered by teens returning from a bonfire gathering. At first, they thought they had seen a log in the roadway.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The scene, as one might expect, was quite unsettling.

“No young person,” Cowan said Monday, “should ever have to deal with something like that.”