A Ramona man, who for no apparent reason drove his pickup into oncoming traffic along state Route 67 in Poway and collided head-on with a Hummer last year, is awaiting trial on two felony charges of reckless driving causing bodily injury.
Ronald Boord, 61, was charged almost exactly one year after the May 7, 2007, accident. A judge bound him over for trial last week.
Kris Coxsey, 61, of Warner Springs sufferred a broken back in the crash.
If convicted, Boord could face a maximum of six years in prison, partly because of a conviction in 2001.
Boord, a Vietnam veteran, made headlines seven years ago when he shot up his van in Encinitas, then held a gun to his head for three hours while negotiating with a SWAT team. He wanted to be killed by SWAT snipers to end the mental torture he suffered from flashbacks, according to court documents.
Boord served for a little more than a year as a Marine sniper in the Vietnam War and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and bouts of depression.
The theory that Boord could have deliberately caused last year's accident was investigated but could not be established. The charges do not indicate intent, nor do they allege that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The attorneys in the case have agreed that when Boord's blood was tested after the crash, it showed the presence of methadone, but not enough to show he was impaired, Deputy District Attorney Ryan Saunders said yesterday.
“It's possible it was a deliberate act,” Saunders said. “It's possible that the methadone affected him and he nodded off and drove straight into traffic.”
Boord's attorney, Thomas Wenbourne, declined to comment.
Boord is free on $100,000 bail. A bail review hearing is set in San Diego Superior Court today.
J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com
