Redmond Man Held on $500,000 Bail After Collision with Cyclist

Bail was set at $500,000 in King County District Court in Seattle Friday for 26-year-old Nathan Jeremie Godwin of Redmond, arrested for suspicion of vehicular homicide in the death of a bicyclist early Thursday morning in the Totem Lake area in Kirkland. The deadline for a charging decision is Dec. 12.

The Seattle Times reported earlier today that Godwin has a prior conviction on drug-related charges and has previously been accused of reckless endangerment and other traffic-related crimes.

The bicyclist killed early Thursday morning in the Totem Lake area has been identified by the King County Medical Examiner's office as Bradley J. Nakatani of Kirkland, 36. On Friday afternoon, friends gathered to remember him as a hardworking engineer for the Redmond company Alstom Grid, and to spread the word about the dangers of driving while impaired.

Nakatani had been traveling westbound on Northeast 124th Street at about 2:50 a.m. and was turning south onto Slater Avenue Northeast, apparently heading home from work. Murray said the SUV was eastbound on 124th when it hit the bicyclist.

“He was probably killed instantly,” Murray said. “There was nothing aid (crews) could do, unfortunately.”

Murray said Kirkland Police have had contact with the SUV driver before.

“We know the suspect,” Murray said. “He’s familiar to us from past contacts."

Godwin was first taken to Evergreen Hospital, where a blood sample was taken for a blood alcohol test, and then to the Kirkland Police station at City Hall.

Murray said Nakatani was an experienced rider who wore reflective clothing and had a light on his bike. “I think he even had a light on his helmet,” Murray said.

Northeast 124th is a busy arterial that provides access from the east and west to Interstate 405 at Totem Lake. The intersection where the accident occurred is east of 405 at a major intersection with Slater Avenue on the south and 132nd Avenue Northeast on the north, just west of the Kirkland/Redmond border.