DUI Driver in King County, Washington, Involved in Collision

by TRAVIS PITTMAN / KING5.com


AUBURN, Wash. – State troopers believe an Idaho man may have been drunk when he collided head-on with a car on State Route 18, sending that driver to the hospital early Thursday morning.

The Washington State Patrol says at about 3:15 a.m., a 2001 Toyota Tacoma was being driven erratically on northbound Interstate 5 near Federal Way. A witness followed the truck as it exited onto SR 18 and then onto Weyerhaeuser Way.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.king5.com/news/Suspected-drunk-driver-in-head-on-collision-69871767.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Two People Dead in Everett, Snohomish County DUI Accident

EVERETT, Wash. – Two cars collided head on Friday night at about 9:30 p.m. on the 41st Street overpass over Broadway, just west of Interstate 5.


Police say alcohol was a factor. The driver of the SUV has been taken into custody for vehicular homicide.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.king5.com/news/Two-people-dead-in-Everett-head-on-collision-85631847.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

DUI Driver Causes Sewage Spill in Washington State

Posted by John de Leon


Another raw-sewage spill, this one in Port Angeles, has closed beaches and fouled the water, according to the Peninsula Daily News. The sewage spilled into the harbor when a wastewater pumping station was taken offline for about four hours after an alleged drunken driver crashed into at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. He's been arrested.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2010554566_another_raw-sewage_this_one_in.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

German Protestant leader quits after DUI incident

By Geir Moulson

Associated Press

BERLIN — Germany’s top Protestant cleric resigned today after she was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit, an incident that she said had undermined her authority.

Margot Kaessmann, who was elected only last October as the first woman to head Germany’s Lutheran church, said she was quitting both that post and her job as bishop of Hannover immediately.

“I made a serious mistake that I regret deeply,” Kaessmann, 51, said in a statement to a televised news conference.

“My heart tells me very clearly that I cannot remain in office with the necessary authority,” she added. “I would no longer have in the future the same freedom that I have had to name and judge ethical and political challenges.”

Kaessmann was stopped by police on Saturday after ignoring a red traffic light in Hannover.

A test showed she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.154 percent — well above the legal limit of 0.05.

Kaessmann, who was accompanied by her four daughters as she gave her resignation statement, gave no detailed explanation of her actions and took no questions.

Because her blood alcohol level was above 0.11 percent, it is considered a criminal offense in Germany. Prosecutors in Hannover have begun an investigation.

Kaesmann faces the loss of her driver’s license for at least several months and a fine.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Mount Vernon man gets DUI in Skagit County

A 57-year-old Mount Vernon man was arrested on a charge of DUI after an officer saw his van repeatedly traveling out of its lane on Highway 20 around 1:45 a.m. The vehicle was speeding and the driver allegedly told the officer he “kept bouncing over the turtles.” The man showed several signs of intoxication and told the officer he had a couple beers. He failed field sobriety tests and provided breath samples almost twice the legal limit. He was cited and released to his wife.


For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Oak Harbor, Island County man gets DUI in Anacortes, Skagit County

A 26-year-old Oak Harbor man was arrested on charges of DUI and felony hit and run after he allegedly struck an 82-year-old pedestrian who was walking with two caregivers on Whistle Lake Road around 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.


The vehicle stopped momentarily and then fled the scene. The pedestrian suffered a mild injury to his knee.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/anacortes_police_blotter_feb_24_2010/

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

DUI Driver Sentenced in Island County, Washington, First Felony DUI Case

By JESSIE STENSLAND

Whidbey News Times Assistant editor

Island County’s first drunk driver to be charged with a felony DUI under a relatively new state law was recently sent to prison for more than four years.

Kelly Wayne Shields, a 45-year-old Oak Harbor resident, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Feb. 16 to felony driving under the influence, driving while license suspended or revoked and possession of 40 grams or less of marijuana.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/85118297.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Island County DUIs - Island County Sheriff's deputy saves a life before losing his job

Whidbey News Times Assistant editor

Jan 26 2010

An Island County Sheriff’s deputy who was a victim of budget cuts likely saved a woman’s life during his last week on the job, according to Detective Sgt. Mike Beech.

Deputy Robert Mirabal was patrolling on Highway 525 in Greenbank early Sunday morning when he saw a woman walking on the side of the road at about 2:30. The deputy stopped to speak to the woman and noticed she had injuries to her face. With some persuasion, he talked her into going to Whidbey General Hospital.

It turned out, Beech said, that the 51-year-old woman had been severely beaten by her boyfriend. She had a fractured vertebrae, extensive bruising and bite marks all over her body. Worst of all, she suffered from a subarachnoid hematoma, which is bleeding in the area between the brain and the tissue that covers the brain.

The woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. Beech said she was in satisfactory condition Monday afternoon.

“It was pretty horrific,” Beech said of the injuries. He said she may not have survived the brain injury if she hadn’t been stopped by the deputy and received prompt treatment.

Beech said the woman and her boyfriend, 38-year-old Kevin Porter, were homeless and living in a camping trailer in woods in the Greenbank area. She claimed she was sleeping and awoke to Porter beating her; he had been out drinking and returned just before the assault, according to Beech.

Beech said he and other deputies searched wooded areas all over Greenbank to find the camping trailer. They arrested Porter on suspicion of first-degree assault. He’s being held in Island County jail on $50,000 bail.

Mirabal was the only deputy who was laid off during a contentious round of budget cutting in December. He left the Coupeville Marshal’s Office last summer to take a job with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Island County DUIs - Island County Sheriff

From the Island County Sheriff, himself:


Mark C. Brown Sheriff

"I believe strongly in a community that works together with law enforcement to help solve crime and make Island County a safer place to live. In order to commit to this philosophy, I will dedicate myself to answering the needs of the citizens and fostering their trust in the men and women of the Island County Sheriff's Office."

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Snohomish County DUIs - Washington State Patrol

From the following website for the Washington State Patrol:

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/d7detach.htm

District 7 Headquarters Office is located in Marysville, which also includes a full-service Crime Laboratory and the district's Communications Center.


The district currently has 14 sergeants and 107 troopers who are responsible for 6,327 square miles, including 853 miles of state highway, with an estimated population of 961,452 citizens.

In addition to the detachments listed below, District 7 has Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers from the Commercial Vehicle Division; Narcotics Detectives from the Investigative Assistance Division; and a Detective unit from the Traffic Investigation Division.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Skagit County DUIs - Washington State Patrol

From the following website for the Washington State Patrol:

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/d7detach.htm

Skagit County APA
The Skagit County APA consists of two detachments working out of our Burlington Detachment office. The geographic area for this APA consists of the entire Skagit County area except for parts of Fidalgo Island, from Anacortes to Deception Pass.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Island County DUIs - Washington State Patrol

From the following website for the Washington State Patrol:

http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/d7detach.htm

Island County APA

The Island County APA consists of one detachment with a total of 9 troopers and 1 sergeant working out of our Oak Harbor Detachment office. The geographic area for this APA consists of all of Island County, except Camano Island, and the portion of Fidalgo Island between Anacortes and Deception Pass in Skagit County.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Island County, Washington DUIs - Alcohol Evaluations

If you have been charged with a DUI in Island County you must get an alcohol/drug evaluation at some point. So, where to go? To be frank, get your evaluation off of the Island (Whidbey and Camano). I don't trust the treatment centers and their reputations are very poor. As one example, a client of mine went to a treatment center in Island County (Oak Harbor) to complete his ADIS class. The treatment provider questioned my client about his evaluation, which he did elsewhere. Not only was this unethical but borderline illegal (violation of HIPAA laws). I obviously won't mention his name or agency, but yet another example that you must go to a treatment center that your attorney recommends and trusts.


For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Skagit County DUIs - Alcohol Evaluations

If you have been charged with a DUI in Skagit County you must get an alcohol/drug evaluation at some point. So, where to go? Personally I trust Dellamas & Associates in Anacortes for simple evaluations. They are pretty reliable. However, if your case is tricky (ie. high BAC or if this is not your first DUI) please contact us first as I would then recommended looking out of county.


For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Contact Information for Island County Prosecuting Attorney - for DUI defendants

Direct from the Island County website:


Two deputies handle the high volume misdemeanor case load, which consists primarily of Driving Under the Influence, misdemeanor Domestic Violence, and a wide variety of traffic offenses.

The Island County Prosecuting Attorney is located on the second floor of the Law and Justice Building at 101 NE Sixth Street in Coupeville, Washington, 98239. Telephone: 360.679.7363; Fax: 360.240.5566

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Island County, Washington - Prosecuting Attorney's Office Mission Statement

The mission of the Island County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is to meet our statutory and constitutional duties to the citizens of Island County and the State of Washington; To vigorously, justly, and efficiently prosecute those who commit crimes in Island County; To provide excellent legal advice and services to the governing bodies and elected officials of Island County; To be effective advocates for the continuous improvement of the justice system; To set the standard for the highest level of professionalism and ethics for the practice of law in Island County.


For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Snohomish County DUIs - more issues with deferred prosecutions

If you are considering doing a deferred prosecution in Snohomish County District Court there is yet another requirement that you must be aware of before the entry of the Petition.  The District Courts will not approve a petition for deferred prosecution unless you have installed an ignition interlock device and have the ignition interlock license installed in your vehicle.  If you do not, you can still have the petition approved but you must sign a document promising not to drive until you get the license.  More worries for the defendant!
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Deferred Prosecution for Snohomish County DUIs

If you are considering doing a deferred prosecution in Snohomish County beware.  All of the State District Courts require that you have the deferred prosecution approved by probation before the Judge will approve the Petition.  To be approved you must complete 36 hours of Phase One of the Probation.  Only after approval by probation will the Judge approve the Petition.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Deadliest Catch star arrested for DUI in Seattle, King County

Herald news services


Washington state troopers have arrested a son of a recently deceased “Deadliest Catch” fish boat captain for investigation of drunken driving.

Trooper Dan McDonald said Jake Harris was arrested Thursday night in Seattle after the State Patrol received calls about an erratically driven BMW on I-5.

For more information on this story checkout this website:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100220/NEWS03/100229990

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Deadliest Catch is Caught and Arrested for DUI in Seattle, King County

SEATTLE - "Deadliest Catch" star Jake Harris has been arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and being in a hit and run accident.


The Washington State Patrol says that at about 9 p.m. Thursday night a private citizen contacted the Patrol about a possible DUI suspect traveling southbound on Interstate 5 from the King/Snohomish county line. A WSP airplane was already patrolling the area and spotted the vehicle.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35489108/ns/entertainment-celebrities/
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Lynnwood, Snohomish County - DUI Capital of Washington State?

Is it something in Lynnwood’s water? State DUI king Robert Castle, 51, of Lynnwood racked up 16 drunk-driving arrests before he was finally collared for good this year. Now runner-up Todd Olson, 47, of Lynnwood, has gone to prison for his 10th DUI. Reports the Everett Herald:


Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Bruce Weiss apparently agreed. He gave Olson the max: seven years in prison for felony drunken driving, hit-and-run and first-degree driving with a suspended license.

Olson blamed his record on his inability to kick alcohol. He’d been drinking since he was a boy, he said. Well, Weiss asked Olson, if you knew you had an alcohol problem, why didn't you stay at home and drink? That's asked a lot in DUI court.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2008/10/the_dui_capital.php

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

King County, Seattle Municipal Court DUI Trial results in a NOT GUILTY Verdict

Another DUI case just went to trial.  It's easy to forget that there is no such thing as an easy case.  This is a prime example.  However, our client did the right thing and believed in her case, and we in her, and as a result she was found not guilty.
The trial is also another reminder that when a case could go either way it is imperative that the attorneys know the law and are also trained in field sobriety testing.  Knowing more than the prosecutor and the officer is necessary!
This case was in Seattle Municipal Court where there is little tolerance for DUI drivers.  Further, the Judges seem to side in favor of the officers and prosecutors with their rulings.  However, despite the difficulty of this setting, the lead attorney for this trial, Stephanie Hartung, strutured a solid, well prepared and honest case that the jury rightfully believed.  Well done Stephanie.
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

DUI Release Policy per the Skagit County District Court

It is the policy of the Skagit County District Court that all persons booked on charges of:


DUI (driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol)
Physical Control

Or who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of booking
Shall not be released until his / her blood alcohol level is below the legal limit of .08

This rule is promulgated pursuant to CrRLJ 3.2 and the delay of release to insure the safety of both the prisoner and the general public.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Attempted Cop killer in King County angry after Wife's DUI

SOUTH BEND, Wash. -- A state trooper who was shot in the head Saturday was assisting in a DUI investigation of the suspected gunman's wife, court documents revealed Tuesday.


As Scott Johnson recovers at home from two gunshot wounds, Martin A. Jones remains in the Pacific County Jail, facing charges of attempted murder and assault.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.komonews.com/news/84502757.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Anacortes, Skagit County women rolls through stop sign and into the arms of a DUI

An officer stopped a car on 41st Street after watching it roll through a stop sign and fail to use its turn signal around 2 a.m. The officer smelled a strong odor of intoxicants on the driver, a 33-year-old Anacortes woman. Her eyes were watery and bloodshot and her speech was slurred. The woman allegedly said she had two cocktails. She failed field sobriety tests and was arrested on investigation of DUI. She provided breath samples two and a half times the legal limit. She was cited and released.


For more information on this story check out this webiste:
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/anacortes_police_blotter_feb_17_2010/

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Anacortes, Skagit County women crunches car then investigated for DUI

An officer behind two cars at the stop sign on 22nd Street at M Avenue witnessed the lead car rev its engine, back into the car behind it with a loud crunch then accelerate away at around 2:54 a.m. The officer finally stopped it on J Avenue, after the car ran a stop sign. The driver, a 19-year-old Anacortes woman, said she was unaware she backed into the other car, which was driven by her boyfriend. He was following her to make sure she got home safe.


For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/anacortes_police_blotter_feb_17_2010/

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Anacortes, Skagit County man gets DUI after driving into ditch

A 22-year-old Anacortes man was arrested on a charge of DUI after an accident with a car in a ditch in the area of Kansas and West Fifth Street around 12:22 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 7.


While en route to the scene, officers passed two men walking on Oakes Avenue. One took off running when he saw the police cars.

To see the rest of the story check out this website:
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/anacortes_police_blotter_feb_17_2010/

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Could King County DUI cases and BAC results be going the way of Snohomish County DUI cases and Skagit County DUI cases?

The following article is directly off of the King County website. Get ready for a wild ride!
http://www.kingcounty.gov/Prosecutor/news/2010/february/dui.aspx


Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous crimes in our community. According to the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission in 2008, drunk drivers accounted for 233 of the 522 people killed on Washington’s roadways. Nationwide, nearly 13,000 people were killed in 2007 in crashes involving a driver with an illegal BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) of .08 or higher. This number represents one-third of all traffic fatalities.

Toxicologists at the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory (State Tox Lab) provide an important role in validating BAC evidence that deputy prosecuting attorneys (DPAs) present at trial. Toxicologists maintain and calibrate the instruments that measure blood alcohol concentration through a breath sample from the suspected drunk driver.

In January 2008, judges in King County District Court ruled that BAC results from alcohol breath tests were inadmissible at trial in most DUI cases because of perceived irregularities in the State Tox Lab's maintenance of simulator solutions used in breath test instruments, among other issues.

In an effort to remedy these perceptions, the state hired a new Toxicologist, Dr. Fiona Couper, to oversee the lab. Dr. Couper conducted a thorough audit of lab protocols, and began the voluntary process of getting the lab's Toxicology Division Breath Calibration Program accredited by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The lab's Breath Calibration Program has now received ISO accreditation. These accreditation standards are internationally recognized as being the "gold standard" and the highest in the world. Only three other breath calibration programs world-wide have achieved this accreditation. As a result, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (PAO) has recently filed a motion in District Court to once again allow breath test evidence to be admitted in court.

Suppression of breath test evidence has made DUI cases more challenging, but it has not prevented the PAO from continuing to prosecute the nearly 4,000 DUIs referred to the office each year. Without breath test evidence, the PAO proves DUI cases by offering evidence of bad driving, poor performance on field sobriety tests, and other signs of driver impairment. There is, however, no substitute for the power of the best evidence of intoxication -- the scientific measurement of blood alcohol concentration through a breath alcohol test. The PAO has begun the legal process to bring that evidence before the juries of King County when they consider the crime of DUI.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

American Idol contestent Got Washington State DUI

Millions of TV viewers watched Seattle "American Idol" hopeful Danelle Hayes impress the judges at auditions in Denver last week.


Hayes didn't make it to Hollywood, as we learned earlier this week. Q13 found out why.

"It's not my criminal record. I got arrested for a DUI...I made a poor choice," Hayes told the station.

For more information on this story check out this website:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/194209.asp

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Washington State Trooper Shot by Husband of DUI Driver

SOUTH BEND, Wash. -- A state trooper who was shot in the head Saturday was assisting in a DUI investigation of the suspected gunman's wife, court documents revealed Tuesday.


For more information on this story check out this website:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/84502757.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Washington State DUI Trooper Gunman Held

By Tan Vinh


Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington State Patrol Trooper Scott Johnson

A 45-year-old Pacific County man was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting Saturday of a State Patrol trooper on the Long Beach Peninsula.

The Seaview man was booked into the Pacific County Jail in South Bend for investigation of first-degree assault and attempted murder in the shooting of Trooper Scott Johnson.

For more information on this story check out this website:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011086771_trooper16m.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Washington State Trooper investigating DUI shot in head

By KEITH ERVIN and JONATHAN MARTIN

Seattle Times Staff Reporters

The Washington State Patrol and other police agencies launched a massive hunt on the Long Beach Peninsula for an unidentified man who shot a Washington state trooper early Saturday morning.

Trooper Scott Johnson, a decorated 25-year veteran, is, remarkably, in stable condition at a Portland hospital after being shot twice in the head. Although he still had a bullet in his head, Johnson has talked with investigators and Gov. Chris Gregoire.

More more information about this story checkout this website:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011065693_webtroopershot13m.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Naked DUI - but not in Skagit County, Snohomish County, Island County or King County

While this story does not involve a DUI in Snohomish County, Skagit County, Island County, or King County, but a tragic DUI story out of Melbourne, Australia reports that a fatal accident involved two teenagers who were driving naked!  Apparently both had come from the beach, went skinny dipping, drank, the drove naked a drunk - never wise.
More information on this story click here:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/teen-pleads-guilty-over-crash-that-killed-boyfriend-20100215-o1dk.html
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

More DUI Enforcement Patrols in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Island and Whatcom Counties

Beginning Feb. 12, law enforcement agencies in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties will hit area roads for a weeklong traffic-safety emphasis patrol ominously dubbed X-52 Sustained Enforcement.


Name aside, Christopher Schwarzen, spokesman for Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, said the focus of the patrol will be to educate drivers about unsafe driving, especially speeding, DUI and occupant protection. During the week, law enforcement agencies in the five counties will be working together in a highly visible patrol, he said. Roadways that have shown a higher rate of traffic crashes will be the focus.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/crime/2009/02/06/more_cops_on_the_road_by_any_o.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Man dressed as Breathalyzer accused of DUI - do not do this in Snohomish, Skagit, Island or King Counties!!

OXFORD, Ohio — An Ohio man dressed as a Breathalyzer test for Halloween found himself blowing into one after police stopped him for allegedly driving the wrong way without headlights on a one-way street.


Oxford police said they stopped 20-year-old James P. Miller on Halloween night and found beer in his front seat and in the trunk.

Police said Miller blew 0.158 percent on a Breathalyzer test. The legal limit for driving is a blood-alcohol level of .08.
 
For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091104/NEWS02/711049662
 
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

The Future for DUI Drivers in Snohomish, Skagit, Island, and King Counties?

Could this be the future for DUI defendants in Snohomish, Skagit, Island and King Counties?

HONOLULU — Mug shots of drunken driving suspects are landing on the Honolulu Police Department’s Web site, creating a virtual wall of shame long before suspects get their day in court.


Supporters say the experiment in public humiliation to be launched Wednesday should be used elsewhere in the nation if it reduces the number of drunks on the road.


For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091126/NEWS02/711269851

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Washington State Trooper in Snohomish County hit by DUI Driver

A driver was arrested this morning on suspicion of DUI after reportedly rear-ending a Washington State Patrol trooper about two miles north of the Seattle Premium Outlet Mall.

Trooper Mack Hyatt, 58, a 35-year veteran of the State Patrol, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was extracted from the unmarked patrol car, said Trooper Keith Leary in an e-mail. Hyatt was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

For more information on this story checkout this website:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091127/NEWS01/911279961

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Seattle, King County Drunk Driver Sentenced to 2 1/2 years

SEATTLE -- The man who plowed into a Seattle family while driving drunk will spend the next 2 1/2 years in jail.


Rodney James was sentenced to concurrent 30- and 17-month sentences for vehicular assault after he slammed his Corvette into the Wong family on the driveway of their home.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/84261857.html
 
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Snohomish County Medical Examiner Investigating DUI was a DUI Himself

The investigator for the medical examiner was fired after reportedly driving to a fatal crash site while drunk.

By Jackson Holtz
Herald Writer

EVERETT — An investigator from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office failed a field sobriety test the night he was called to help recover the bodies of four people killed in a car crash Thanksgiving weekend.

Arleigh Marquis, 48, was fired for driving a county vehicle while drunk and also violating several county rules, according to documents The Herald obtained under the state’s public records laws.

For more information on this story check out this website:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100211/NEWS01/702119898#Official.on.duty.flunked.DUI.test

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Information about the Snohomish County DUI Program

The Snohomish County DUI Program:


*Provides DUI education to

*High schools

*Court-ordered offenders

*Driver's education classes

*General community

Provides free tiles for families wanting to remember their loved one on our DUI Victim's Memorial Wall at McCollum Park in Everett.

Refers individuals to organizations dealing with victim's rights, traffic safety, legal proceedings, funeral arrangements, etc.

Recognizes those who have contributed to traffic safety in Snohomish County at our annual Awards Ceremony.

For program information: 425-388-7229.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Snohomish Couple killed by DUI Driver Remembered

Dozens of friends, family members and former students braved the cold on Thursday night to honor a Snohomish County couple killed in a drunk driving crash.


For more information on this story check out this website:
http://mukilteo.komonews.com/content/everyone-they-were-inspiration

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Grant helps Snohomish County capture more DUI Drivers

Grant allows county to increase DUI patrols

Published on Wed, Dec 2, 2009

Snohomish County will receive nearly $70,000 in grant funding to keep local law enforcement cracking down on impaired driving, keeping county roads safer.

The $69,850 grant will help pay overtime between Nov. 28, 2009, and Sept. 6, 2010, during "Drive Hammered Get Nailed" traffic safety emphasis patrols. Snohomish County routinely joins its counterparts throughout Washington state in the Washington Traffic Safety Commission's emphasis patrols.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Anacortes, Skagit County DUI police blotter

An officer stopped a car driven by a 24-year-old Anacortes woman in the 1100 block of 12th Street around 2:22 a.m. after confirming she had a suspended driver’s license. She smelled of intoxicants and said she had one large mixed drink. She failed field sobriety tests and was arrested. She later said she had two mixed drinks. She provided breath samples almost twice the legal limit. The woman faces charges of DUI and driving with a suspended license. She was released to a sober adult.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Record Level DUI Offender in King County gets 1 Year in Jail

By Peyton Whitely

Seattle Times staff reporter

A sentence of more than a year in jail was imposed Friday on Deana Jarrett, a former Seattle police officer and airport-security supervisor who once was described as the drunkest driver ever arrested by the Washington State Patrol.

The terms, imposed in King County District Court in Redmond, were for a series of four offenses dating to 2001, but most of them for driving-under-the-influence charges brought in 2007.


For more information on this story check out the following website:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008022427_dui28m.html

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

$14 million DUI award for tragic DUI north of Skagit County

$14 million DUI award for tragic DUI north of Skagit County


By RACHEL LA CORTE

Associated Press Writer

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Supreme Court in Washington state today unanimously reinstated a $14 million award to a woman who sued a tavern and a bartender after one of the bar’s customers drove away from the establishment and collided with her car, leaving her 7-year-old-son a paraplegic.

Under state law, bartenders who serve visibly intoxicated customers are liable for damages to potential victims. At question was the type of evidence needed to prove “negligent overservice.”

Judges noted that a forensic consultant found that the bar patron — Hawkeye Kinkaid — likely drank the equivalent of either 21 12-ounce beers or 30 ounces of 80-proof alcohol, and probably had a blood alcohol content of 0.32 at the time of the collision. The legal threshold in Washington state is 0.08.

Kinkaid was drinking at the Bellingham Moose Lodge, about 90 miles north of Seattle, just before the April 2000 accident. Kinkaid’s girlfriend, Alexis Chapman, was a bartender at the lodge and served him the night of the accident.

After Kinkaid left the lodge, he drove his car across the center line of a road in nearby Ferndale, striking the car of Bianca Faust of New York City, who was driving with her two children and infant grandchild. Kinkaid was killed and everyone in Faust’s car was injured, including 7-year-old Christopher.

Faust sued both the lodge and Chapman, and won in Whatcom County Superior Court. The award was later overturned by the state Court of Appeals, which said Faust had to present “specific point-in-time evidence” that Kinkaid seemed drunk when Chapman served him alcohol.

But the Supreme Court disagreed, noting Thursday that in statements to others, Chapman said Kinkaid was too “tipsy” to be driving and that he was so drunk that night that she eventually refused to serve him.

Christopher, now 15, will benefit the most from the ruling, said Steve Chance, the family’s attorney.

“His life is now going to make a significant change for the better,” he said. “This family now can take care of their boy the way he’s entitled to be taken care of.”

Messages left with the lodge, and with attorneys representing Chapman and the lodge, were not immediately returned.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com/

Sedro-Woolley, Skagit County Man Pleads Guilty to Felony DUI

Sedro-Woolley, Skagit County Man Pleads Guilty to Felony DUI


MOUNT VERNON A judge today sentenced a 26-year-old Sedro-Woolley man to more than three years in prison for killing a 22-year-old Burlington woman while driving under the influence of alcohol in May.

Adam Hayden pleaded guilty July 16 to vehicular homicide. He ran a red light on Highway 20, striking Chrystal Hansen as she drove.

Hansen’s fiance was in the passenger seat of car. The couple had planned to marry on July 18, and Hansen, who was pregnant, was studying to become a nurse.

Hayden failed a sobriety test at the scene, and a blood test showed his blood-alcohol level to be .09. State law considers a person drunk at .08.

Skagit County Superior Court Judge Mike Rickert sentenced Hayden to 41 months in prison and 18 months of community custody, the maximum in his range.

Rickert said the worst cases are those where young lives are taken, and especially those with as promising of a future as Hansen’s “all the people she would have touched and all the lives she would have saved as a nurse.”

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

State troopers focus on DUIs in Skagit, Snohomish, Island and Whatcom counties.

Whitney Pipkin
Skagit Valley Herald

September 12, 2009 - 01:54 PM

State troopers say they aren’t relenting in their drive against drunken driving.

State Patrol Trooper Keith Leary said troopers arrested 73 people for DUIs this past Labor Day weekend in Skagit, Snohomish, Island and Whatcom counties.

That number is just short of the 77 DUI arrests that occurred during the same period last year. In Skagit County, troopers arrested 15 people for DUIs last weekend.

Three people died statewide in alcohol- or drug-related collisions over this holiday weekend, which is one less than during the same weekend last year.

“Our continued message to people as we come out of the summer and into the fall is that we’re not gonna tolerate these people drinking and driving on the road,” Leary said.

Five people have died from alcohol- or drug-related collisions in Skagit County so far this year — two more than in 2008 — and Leary said those numbers call for increased patrols through the end of the year.

Other statistics on alcohol- or drug-related arrests and accidents, mostly gathered during holiday weekends such as Labor Day, show the number of drivers under the influence staying generally steady.

“They’re holding constant, which means we’re not seeing a reduction like we want,” Leary said.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Washington State cornerback Brandon Jones has been dismissed from team after reported DUI

Cornerback from O'Dea kicked off squad after violating team rules


Brandon Jones, a Washington State cornerback from O'Dea High, has been dismissed from the Cougars for a violation of team rules, a WSU spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

Jones was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence early Saturday morning near the WSU campus. The Spokane Spokesman-Review said Jones, a starter as a junior in 2009 for the Cougars, was arrested in a domestic dispute Nov. 30 but no charges were filed and the case was dropped in December by the Whitman County prosecutor's office.

Jones started his collegiate career at Cal before transferring to WSU. He sat out the 2008 season.

He started 11 games for the Cougars in 2009, missing the Apple Cup with the lingering effects of a back injury.

Also, the Cougars signed Xavier Cooper, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive end from Tacoma's Wilson High.

"Xavier will bring a level of athleticism to our defensive line," coach Paul Wulff said. "He has a great deal of potential and as he develops in the weight room, he is going to help us on the defensive line."

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Seattle police-chief search underway – Could affect King County DUIs

By Steve Miletich and Jennifer Sullivan

Seattle Times staff reporters

The search for Seattle's next police chief is finally in full gear, a year after word trickled out that former Chief Gil Kerlikowske would become the Obama administration's drug czar.

Though the final selection is months away, the choice could come down to an insider versus an outsider. Already, interim Police Chief John Diaz has said he will seek the job, and Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick is expected to apply.

For now, the process is wide open. On Wednesday night, a search committee selected by Mayor Mike McGinn will begin hosting a series of public meetings to hear what people want in a new chief.

For more information on this story please check out the following link:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2011027775.html
For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Seattle Police Officer Arrested for DUI

Police officer arrested for DUI


03:48 PM PDT on Friday, April 29, 2005

(© KING5.com)

BREMERTON, Wash.– A Seattle Police officer was arrested for suspicion of drunken driving earlier this month, the Washington State Patrol confirmed Friday.

Scott Moss, who until recently was a department spokesman and one of the public faces of the SPD, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. April 2 on Kitsap Way outside Bremerton, according to the WSP.

Moss was allegedly going 10 mph. over the posted speed limit of 35 mph.

According to the Patrol, the trooper noticed signs that Moss had been drinking and also learned that Moss was a Seattle Police Officer.

Moss was arrested after he failed a field sobriety test and his car was impounded. Moss later took a blood alcohol content test, the results of which were not made available.

He was then taken to a nearby relative's house where he was cited for DUI and released.

The citation said Moss acted in a professional and polite way and cooperated with the trooper.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Our Priority is Defending those Accused of DUI in Snohomish County, Skagit County, Island County and King County - but now for some fluff

Playboy Playmate Avoids Illinois DUI

Miss May 2009 had been arrested for drunk driving in Chicago.

The Playboy Playmate featured as Miss May 2009 has avoided prosecution for suspicion of driving under the influence in Chicago. Crystal McCahill was stopped last January after running a red light. She told the officer she had been drinking at the Climax Bar, where she worked. The Chicago Police Department officer claims that McCahill voluntarily went to the district police station on the Near North Side, where a blood alcohol test revealed a BAC more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.

McCahill's Illinois DUI defense attorney countered that his client was arrested prior to going to the district station. Since the officer had not conducted a field sobriety test there was insufficient reason to place McCahill under arrest.

A Cook County Judge ruled that McCahill should not have been arrested on the scene for DUI in Illinois. Prosecutors are considering an appeal. A Chicago Police spokesperson said he felt the officer acted appropriately during the DUI investigation and felt the evidence showed McCahill was in fact intoxicated.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

296 cars stopped during DUI effort in Snohomish County, Skagit County, Island County and King County

STACEY MULICK; THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Published: 09/09/0912:05 am
Updated: 09/09/09 6:04 am

Washington State Patrol troopers stopped 296 suspected drunken drivers in the state over the Labor Day weekend, the agency reported Tuesday.

Troopers got some help from the public in spotting impaired drivers. Forty-four drivers called 911 to report suspicious driving.

After finding the suspect vehicles, troopers arrested 19 motorists on suspicion of drunken driving, one on suspicion of drug-related impaired driving and one on a warrant. Another four were written tickets, the State Patrol reported.

The 296 drunken-driving arrests were up from 292 in 2008.

By comparison on other three-day holidays, troopers made 123 DUI arrests over the Fourth of July holiday in 2008 and 250 in 2009. They made 341 drunken-driving arrests over the Memorial Day holiday in 2008 and 319 in 2009.

Troopers also investigated fatal accidents in Okanogan, Skagit and King counties over this Labor Day holiday weekend. The number was down from four during the 2008 holiday weekend.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Troopers in King County, Snohomish County, Skagit County and Island County geared up for Super Bowl DUI drivers

THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Published: 02/07/1012:05 am
Updated: 02/07/10 7:10 am

Extra Washington State Patrol troopers will be on the highways in King County today for the Super Bowl.

The 22 additional troopers will look be looking for drunken drivers, speeders and aggressive drivers.

“Last year, troopers apprehended 34 DUIs, and we were happy to report that there were no fatality collisions on King County highways during Super Bowl weekend,” Capt. Steve Burns said. “We are hoping for the same outcome this year.”

Troopers advise that if you’re going to a Super Bowl party where alcohol will be served, arrange for a designated driver or stay the night.

Drivers are encouraged to call 911 if they spot an impaired or aggressive driver. Be prepared to provide dispatchers with the location, direction of travel, vehicle description (including license plate number, if possible) and a summary of the suspicious activity.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

NFL Football Legend Bruce Smith Guilty of DUI

January 15, 2010

Virginia Beach, Virginia – Bruce Smith, 46, a former NFL player has finally concluded a very long DUI criminal case. The Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins defensive end was convicted for DUI on July 9, 2009, but delayed the sentencing hearing of his criminal case by appealing a ruling. His appeal had no merit and he was sentenced on January 14, 2010.

Smith got into trouble by drinking and driving. In fact, the night he was arrested he was stopped for speeding in his Bentley. Smith was clocked at 73 m.p.h. Smith admitted to consuming intoxicants, failed a battery of field sobriety tests and then refused to provide a breath sample to measure his breath alcohol content.

Smith is VERY lucky and probably has not learned one thing from this incident. This was Smith’s third arrest for DUI. His first DUI was dismissed in 1997, and then Smith was acquitted of his second DUI arrest in 2003. Clearly, Bruce Smith does not care at all about his community as he continues to get arrested for drunk driving.

Smith will serve zero days of a 90 day suspended jail term and only pay $440.00 in fines for recent DUI conviction. Smith better praise each attorney that has represented him since 1997. About 99% of people that incur three DUI arrests do not escape punishment as easily as Smith has.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

DUI Driver blows 0.708 – a Record!

Sturgis, South Dakota. On December 1, 2009, Marguerite Engle, 45, was found in a parked truck next to Interstate 90. The truck had been reported stolen and quickly got the attention of law enforcement. Engle was arrested and then provided an astounding breath alcohol sample of .708. That is nearly NINE TIMES the South Dakota DUI legal limit of .08. Such a high level is life threatening and it really is a miracle she is still alive. While prosecuting DUI cases for Seattle the record BAC sample was just over .500. That individual spent a few nights at Haborview Medical Center before he was allowed booking into jail.

Engle was charged with DUI and possession of marijuana. She is being held without bond in the Meade County Jail

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

58 Drivers Arrested for DUI over Super Bowl Weekend

PORTLAND, OREGON (BNO NEWS) – Fifty-eight drivers were arrested this weekend for drunk driving in Oregon, state authorizes said on Monday.

Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers had approximately the same number of DUII arrests this year compared to last year’s Super Bowl weekend.

Fourteen DUII arrests were reported by OSP Springfield Area Command office, eight by the Salem Area Command office, and the Portland and Tualatin Area offices reported seven each.

The troopers did not report any fatal accidents during the weekend, although one occurred Friday evening when a female pedestrian was struck and killed on Highway 34 near Seven Mile Lane.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Super Bowl Sunday has become one of the nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving, as 48 percent of the fatalities happened in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 percent or higher.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Former Seattle Police Officer has highest BAC level in King County, Snohomish County or Skagit County ever

By Peyton Whitely and Sharon Pian Chan

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

A former Seattle police officer returned the highest blood-alcohol reading ever recorded by a Washington state driver, and she was charged with driving under the influence Wednesday.

Deana F. Jarrett, of Woodinville, registered a 0.47 percent blood-alcohol reading after striking two cars April 11, said Trooper Jeff Merrill, public-information officer for the State Patrol. The legal limit in Washington is 0.08 percent.

For more information on this story please check out the following link:


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003672880_webalcohol19m.html


For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Oak Harbor, Island County woman makes a meth of wedding in DUI bust

By JESSIE STENSLAND


WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES

A 41-year-old Oak Harbor woman's wedding night ended badly last November.

According to court records, she was arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and driving under the influence on the way home from a night in a bridal suite. Her new husband was arrested on a felony warrant from another state.

Laura Lewis' bad luck continued when prosecutors charged her in Island County Superior Court Jan. 19 with possession of meth and DUI. She pleaded not guilty Feb. 1.

Early in the morning of Nov. 1, Washington State Trooper Thomas Arnold made a traffic stop on a vehicle that exited an Oak Harbor hotel and headed north on Highway 20.

Lewis was driving the car while Steven Goddard was in the passenger seat. They told the trooper that they had been married the previous day and were just going home after a night in the hotel.

The trooper, however, suspected that Lewis was high and performed roadside sobriety tests on her, which she didn't do well on, the report shows. He arrested her on suspicion of DUI. Lewis admitted that she had meth in her purse and the trooper seized it, the report states.

Both Goddard and Lewis indicated that they had "shot up" meth that morning at the hotel, the report states.

Goddard originally gave the trooper a false name, but Arnold figured it out from the correct name on the new marriage certificate, the trooper wrote. He was wanted on "an extraditable felony warrant" and was taken into custody, the report states.

If convicted of the charges, Lewis could face up to a year in jail under the standard sentencing range.

This article was originally published in the Whidbey News Times on February 5, 2010.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

DUI deaths reduced in Nation and in Snohomish County, Skagit County, Island County and King County

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Washington is among 40 states in which drunken-driving fatality rates have declined, according to the Transportation Department.

Nationally, 11,773 people were killed in drunken-driving crashes in 2008 for a rate of 0.4 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the department said Monday. In 2007, 13,041 motorists were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes for a rate of 0.43.

Fifty fewer people in Washington died in drunken-driving crashes in 2008 over 2007.

Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine, Nebraska, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Dakota and Arizona, plus the District of Columbia, saw fatality rates involving alcohol-linked crashes decline by 20 percent or more.

The rates were virtually unchanged in three states — Delaware, Florida and Pennsylvania — but increased in seven states: New Hampshire, Kansas, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Idaho, Oklahoma and Colorado.

Chuck Hurley, chief executive officer of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, noted that improvements were made in states such as New Mexico and Arizona that have adopted tough laws using breath-monitoring ignition interlock devices for offenders.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have set a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 as drivers’ legal limit.

States that made the most progress on impaired driving fatalities had been the most aggressive in arresting and prosecuting offenders and using patrols and checkpoints to keep their roads safe, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Washington State and Snohomish County DUI Statistics

255 people were killed in drunken driving crashes on Washington roads in 2008.


By a 3-1 ratio, men were more likely to be killed in drunken driving crashes in Washington from 1998-2007.

229 people were killed in drunken driving crashes in Snohomish County from 1998-2007.

Almost half of those killed in Washington drunken driving crashes in 2004-08 were ages 16 to 30.

(Source: Washington Traffic Safety Commission)

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

1 in 3 fatal wrecks in Snohomish county involves alcohol

By Katya Yefimova, Herald Writer

GRANITE FALLS — Conrad Thompson was 6 years old when a drunken driver hit him in a crosswalk on his way to a park.

Almost 60 years later, he looks back on a lifetime of back pain and work to prevent drunken driving.

The number of wrecks caused by drunken driving have shrunk since the day that changed Thompson's life, but the numbers are still alarming.

More than a third of fatal crashes in Snohomish County this year involved drinking and driving, said Kristal Rust, a research analyst with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Of the 41 traffic fatalities in the county in 2009, 16 involved drinking and driving, as of Dec. 18. The year's total of drunken driving fatalities could change as police continue investigations of recent accidents, officials said.

Law enforcement officials say they are working to reduce the number of drunken driving deaths to zero. While the number of fatalities reported this year is of concern, it is not statistically out of the ordinary, Rust said.

State officials count a drunken driving death if police report that alcohol was involved in a fatal accident or if a driver's blood showed any presence of alcohol, not necessarily a blood-alcohol level higher than the .08 legal limit, Rust explained.

The state data doesn't reflect the death of 26-year-old Joshua Haggerton, who was hit and killed by an alleged drunken driver in Marysville in the early hours of Dec. 19.

Police investigators said breath samples taken from the driver, a 34-year-old Marysville man, showed he had a blood alcohol level of .17, more than twice the legal limit. The man told police he drank five beers and two shots of vodka before the crash. He was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide.

A few weeks earlier, two Clearview couples, Brad and Melissa Agerup and Tom and Hilda Woods, were killed on Highway 9 when their vehicle was hit by another driven by a 27-year-old Snohomish man. That man told police he drank eight beers before he got behind the wheel of his car.

Year after year, impaired driving has been the leading cause of traffic fatalities in Washington state, Rust said. Speeding and distracted driving also rank high.

This year's numbers are preliminary. Drunken driving crashes often happen during the winter holidays, and officials worry the toll might increase before year's end. Final numbers sometimes arrive much later, and include crash victims who die from their injuries weeks after the wreck.

The biggest number of crashes occur during weekends, Rust said. Most drunken-driving victims are vehicle drivers and passengers. A few are pedestrians like Thompson, the man hit six decades ago.

Thompson now is the chairman of the Snohomish County DUI Task Force, whose group fights against drunken or drugged driving.

“The first thing that goes when you are under the influence is the judgment,” he said. “People need to plan ahead.”

As part of a statewide plan to crack down on drunken driving, law enforcement agencies throughout the county conduct regular patrols targeting impaired drivers, said Tracy McMillan from the task force.

During a special patrol on Dec. 11, police stopped two dozen impaired drivers in south Snohomish County alone, she said.

The patrols are highly visible: Studies have shown that drivers are reluctant to break laws if they believe they might get a ticket, McMillan said.

“Rural county highways have a high number of incidents, relating both to speed and DUI crashes,” she said.

Data shows that many deaths involving drunken drivers occurred on rural roads, many of which are narrow, curvy and poorly lit. A driver's unfamiliarity with a particular road can also be a factor, she said.

In 2008, the commission recorded a total of 34 fatal traffic wrecks in Snohomish County, and more than half of them involved drunken drivers, Rust said.

For Thompson, every person killed also is a reminder of lives devastated by debilitating injuries.

“The sad thing is, most of these crashes are preventable,” he said.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Extra DUI Patrols in Snohomish County (and Skagit County) for Super Bowl

By Jackson Holtz, Herald Writer

MARYSVILLE — Are you ready for football?

The Super Bowl means parties with chili and beer for many.

It also can mean drunken driving. The Washington State Patrol will mount a defense of its own, with extra troopers on the roads today.

Officials are less concerned about the outcome of the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints then they are about drivers staying sober to get safely to and from game-day parties, trooper Keith Leary said.

“We know most parties will include alcohol. This means identifying a driver who has not been drinking,” Leary said.

In recent weeks, state officials have seen an increase in daytime drunken driving, Leary said.

If people plan to drink alcohol, it’s best to plan ahead, get a ride or call a taxi, he said. The alternative is possibly facing criminal charges or causing serious injury or death.

Troopers arrested eight people for investigation of drunken driving in Snohomish County on Super Bowl Sunday 2009. Statewide, 73 arrests were made.

The state patrol responded to one fatality on Super Sunday last year, in Eastern Washington, Leary said. They’re hoping to avoid tragedy this year.

“Our main goal this weekend is to make sure everyone thinks as though this were another holiday,” he said.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Skagit County and Snohomish County DUIs busy on Super Bowl Day

I was out driving tonight heading down through Skagit County and the Mount Vernon area through to Snohomish County and the Everett and Lynnwood area.  Being Super Bowl day it should not be surprising that I saw cop car after cop car patrolling the Everett and Lynnwood areas in Snohomish County.  Earlier in the day I counted dozens of cop cars in both Anacortes and Mt Vernon in Skagit County.  Clearly these Skagit County and Snohomish County officers are looking for DUI drivers.  Remember, if you're out there be safe, park your car and get a cab home.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Snohomish County Judge throws out BAC testing in DUI cases

Everett, WA. May 20, 2008 – Police and prosecutors better have more than a breath test to prove someone was driving drunk when they walk into one Everett judge’s courtroom.

Snohomish County District Court Judge Tam Bui last week ruled that she will not accept breath tests measuring a person’s alcohol level because of a litany of problems with the state’s testing process.

The way the state has been conducting the tests is flawed, and until changes are made at the Washington State Patrol Toxicology Lab, the results can’t be used as evidence in her courtroom, Bui ruled…

Jurors should be allowed to hear the results of the breath tests, as well as the problems with the lab and make their own decisions about the weight to give test evidence, said Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Charlie Blackman.

“The decision essentially says that many small errors, which in our opinion have no scientific significance, result in the courts viewing the evidence not reliable enough for a jury to consider,” Blackman said. “We think that’s wrong. We think you can trust a jury to sort this out.”

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Washington State Police officer fired based on new DUI law - should Skagit County and Snohomish County police officers be fired too?

By Meghann M. Cuniff


The Spokesman-Review

SPOKANE — Changes to a state law put a fired Spokane police sergeant in a new class of drunken drivers: first-time offenders required to drive with an ignition interlock device.

That new requirement led to Brad Thoma’s dismissal from the Spokane Police Department after the department said public safety would be compromised by having an officer who had to pass a breathalyzer test any time he needed to start his patrol car. It appears to be the first time a law enforcement agency statewide has had to consider the issue.

Now officials with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are wondering what the requirement could mean for a lieutenant suspected of a drunken car crash in Liberty Lake. While the Spokane Police Department and Washington State Patrol handle similar situations on a case-by-case basis, Sheriff’s Office policy calls for employees to be fired after their second drunken driving offense.

“It’s still kind of unclear as to what that means for somebody who is working,” said Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.

Prosecutors have not charged Lt. Stephen Jones in connection with the Jan. 8 rollover crash in Liberty Lake. Results of his blood-alcohol test are expected this month.

The 2008 Washington Legislature adjusted drunken driving laws beginning in January 2009 to allow all offenders to regain their driving privileges if they install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles, instead of simply suspending their driving privileges for a period of time. The devices test a driver’s blood-alcohol level and prevent the vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected.

Thoma was granted deferred prosecution in November for a Sept. 23 crash. He was one of 162 drunken driving defendants to enter deferred prosecution in Spokane County District Court last year — an increase of 18 since 2008, according to court records.

Spokane police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said she’s the first law enforcement official in Washington to be faced with that new requirement when considering future employment. A required ignition interlock device, she decided, makes someone unemployable as a driver.

“I don’t need to stick my finger in the wind and say, ‘How do people feel about it?”’ Kirkpatrick said.

Thoma offered to pay for an ignition interlock device on his squad car and pay for the additional insurance, but Kirkpatrick refused.

She also refused to sign a waiver that would allow Thoma to drive without one. That provision was added to the new law to help offenders avoid losing their jobs, said Thompson, of MADD.

“We would hope that law enforcement would hold themselves to a higher level,” she said. “The problem is they are human beings, and alcohol can get a grip on anyone.”

The city had offered to see if Thoma qualified for a noncommissioned position elsewhere in the city if he left the police department for the two years he’s required to drive with the device.

Thoma has filed a $4 million claim against the city, alleging he was wrongly fired because he’s an alcoholic.

If Kirkpatrick was unwilling to sign a waiver allowing Thoma to drive without the required device, she should have found another position for him in the department, said Thoma’s lawyer, Bob Dunn.

Not possible, Kirkpatrick said.

“I need all hands on deck,” she said.

At the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, policy calls for first-time DUI offenders to be suspended for a week and undergo alcohol treatment. A second DUI means termination.

Knezovich said the ignition interlock law is so new there’s too much uncertainty as to what certain provisions actually mean.

The sheriff has been looking to the county’s lawyers for guidance but said he’s been told that because it’s a new law, it’s tough to provide greater certainty.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Snohomish County Judge in Lynnwood denies bail to DUI suspect convicted in another DUI case

By Diana Hefley


Herald Writer

EVERETT — A Seattle man charged with drunken driving will remain behind bars without any chance to bail out after a Snohomish County Superior Court judge ruled that a lower court had legal authority to deny the man bail because he was convicted of another crime while awaiting trial.

Attorneys for Israel Hinojosa argued that their client has the state Constitution on his side. A District Court judge didn’t have the right to order him held without bail before he’s had a fair trial, they contend.

Bail isn’t supposed to be punishment. It is set to assure people show up to their court hearings. A high bail also is a means to assure public safety if there’s a possibility the defendant may commit a violent crime, intimidate a witness or interfere with the court.

The state Constitution guarantees that people, before they are convicted of a crime, have the right to bail, public defender Sara Ayoubi wrote in a petition. The Constitution says no-bail orders are reserved only for defendants who are charged with aggravated murder where proof is evident, she wrote.

Ayoubi filed a petition last week asking a Superior Court judge to order Judge Jeffrey Goodwin to set bail for Hinojosa. Goodwin presides in the south division of the county’s District Court.

Prosecutors opposed the petition, arguing that judges do have discretion to deny bail for people who have broken the rules.

The Constitutional right to bail has exceptions as seen in other cases decided by the courts, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Charles Blackman wrote in court papers. The right is not absolute, he said.

Superior Court Judge Eric Lucas agreed with Blackman.

Judges have the inherent power to deny bail when there is a willful violation of the conditions of release, Lucas said. Hinojosa also demonstrated that he was a danger to the community, the judge said.

Hinojosa, 40, was charged in June with misdemeanor drunken driving stemming from traffic stop in May south of Everett. Prosecutors allege that he had a blood alcohol level of .129. The legal limit is .08.

Hinojosa was arraigned in District Court in Lynnwood. He was released on his own personal recognizance and not required to post any bail. He was ordered not to drink alcohol or commit any new crimes.

A week later, Hinojosa was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in King County. He was later charged there with drunken driving.

He showed up for hearings in Lynnwood on the Snohomish County case in September and November and was allowed to remain out of custody for seven months.

He pleaded guilty Jan. 5 to the King County drunken-driving charge. Later that week, he showed up for a hearing in Lynnwood. That’s when Goodwin ordered Hinojosa taken into custody and held without bail.

The judge said Hinojosa violated the terms of his release by being convicted of drunken driving in King County.

Ayoubi argued this week that there were no grounds for the judge’s decision.

Hinojosa was advised at his Snohomish County arraignment that if he violated the conditions of his release he would forfeit any bail or bond posted. He also could be ordered to appear back in court or there would be a bench warrant for his arrest.

Nowhere was he told that he could be jailed without bail, she argued.

“There is a limitation on what a judge can do,” Ayoubi said.

Veteran public defender Sonja Hardenbrook said she’s never seen a case where a man charged with a misdemeanor is ordered held without bail before conviction.

Even in most murder cases bail is set, she said.

Her office is concerned that people charged with a misdemeanor will be locked up for long stretches while their cases are resolved, Hardenbrook said. That could mean they spend more time in jail than they might be sentenced to if they were convicted.

Earlier this month, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced her support for a Constitutional amendment that would give judges more discretion to deny people bail. The announcement came in response to the death of four Lakewood police officers at the hands of a convicted felon who was out on bail.

State lawmakers are proposing changes to the Constitution that would allow judges to deny a person bail before trial if the judge believes that is the only way to assure public safety.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

man charged with posing as twin after DUI - If You are a Twin In Skagit County or Snohomish County it would be wise not to pull this trick

The Associated PressJanuary 28, 2010, 5:35 pm


A man faces fraud charges after reportedly pretending to be his twin brother after he was pulled over for driving under the influence. The Highlands County Sheriff's Office reported that 43-year-old man was pulled over Jan. 20 and charged with DUI. But deputies said the man initially identified himself as his brother and signed that name on his citation and jail forms.

Deputies discovered the suspect's real identity the next day. He reportedly told deputies that he used his brother's name because his driver's license was suspended.

Besides the DUI, the man was charged with fraudulent impersonation, altering a public record certificate, passing a forged-altered instrument and several misdemeanors. He was being held on $31,250 bail.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Chances of Getting Arrested for DUI in Skagit County, Snohomish County, Island County or King County

Measuring the Chances of DUI Arrest

In a project to measure the probability of getting arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants as it relates to blood alcohol concentration, the Midwest Research Institute of Kansas City, MO, has explored public awareness about the extent to which DUI laws are enforced. Once discerned, this information could be useful to increase public awareness, help the police force in locating drunk drivers, aid in the evaluation of possible DUI candidates, and help provide quantification of intoxicated drivers on public roads.

Alcohol Safety Action Projects (ASAP), a workshop funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), conducted interviews of thousands of people in order to ascertain the level of public understanding of DUI law enforcement. Interviewees were asked several questions, including what they speculated the possibility was that they may be stopped by the police after having had several drinks.

Unfortunately, the question does not have an accurate answer, especially if the intoxication level, or blood alcohol content (BAC), is not designated. While general ideas of such probabilities do exist, in-depth research had not been previously carried out on this topic. Estimates from previous reports calculate that for a 10-mile ride with a BAC above 0.10% the probability of arrest would be about one in 670, while the Midwest Research Institute states in their recent report that in fact that chances are about one in 200.

After measuring this probability of a DUI arrest under controlled conditions of patrolling and traffic counts, then one can also assess how many drivers would possess a set BAC range. A random survey of volunteer motorists driving in the same patrol area provided the outcome of BAC in drivers who were not arrested, while police records gave the BAC distribution of those who were arrested. Once this probability can be firmly established, then communities without ASAPs could avoid expensive roadside surveys and also be convinced of the value of ASAPs in their communities.

This information could greatly assist police patrols with managing DUI patrols as it would offer a fixed standard to use in ascertaining the performance of his unit. More importantly, precise calculation of the probabilities of being arrested for DUI will aid in garnering the trust and confidence of the public in carrying out future public education campaigns against drunk driving.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Study Says Strict DUI Laws Don't work - do Strict DUI Laws Work in Skagit County or Snohomish County?

Florida paper suggests jail time does not keep drunks off road.


A study conducted at the University of Florida in Gainesville suggests the threat of jail time does not deter drunk drivers. That stems primarily from the fact that most people who drive after drinking do not think they will be stopped for suspicion of DUI.

Researchers, led by Professor Alexander Wagenaar, looked at changes in DUI laws and jail penalties for drunk driving offenses from a 17 year period and compared them against the number of DUI arrests and alcohol related vehicular deaths. They found that stricter laws and harsher penalties do not deter people from drinking and driving. Nor did they reduce the number of alcohol related accidents.

Wagenaar said, “There are many in the general public who continue to drive after drinking because they don’t really believe that they’re going to be detected, pulled over, caught and go through the process to be convicted before a jail term would come into play.”

The study has been published in the Accident Analysis and Prevention section of sciencedirect.com.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

DUI Deaths Down in Skagit County, Snohomish County, Island, King County and in America in 2009

Alcohol related deaths down 7%

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that national DUI fatality rates dropped by 7% from 2007 to 2008 (the last complete year of data). LaHood cited aggressive drunk driving crackdowns by law enforcement groups for the drop. Safety research organizations also say the publicity surrounding drunk driving has also deterred many from drinking to excess and operating a motorized vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the drop continues a decade long trend. Since national organizations actively began addressing the issue of driving under the influence, the number of DUI related deaths is down 44%, from 21,113 in 1982 to 11,773 in 2008.

The largest decline in alcohol related traffic fatalities occurred in Vermont, which say a 45% drop. Other big drops were recorded in Wisconsin and Maine (-32%), Nebraska (-28%), Connecticut and Minnesota (-23%), South Dakota (-22%) and Arizona (-20%). In the larger populated states, California DUI deaths were down 9% from 1,132 to 1.029 and Texas DWI fatalities were down 2% from 1,333 to 1,269.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

No Cities in Skagit County, Snohomish County, Island County or King County are the Top DUI Cities in America

If you thought that Lynnwood or Everett in Snohomish County, Mt Vernon or Anacortes in Skagit County, Oak Harbor in Island County, or even Seattle in King County were the drunkest cities in America, you would be wrong. Here are the rankings which are based on a number of factors including incidents of DUI


Men's Health Magazine has released its ranking of "America's Drunkest Cities". The study took into account a number of factors, such as incidents of car crashes attributable to alcohol, the number of arrests for driving under the influence and the death rates from alcoholic liver disease.

Fresno, California was ranked the drunkest city for the year. Rounding out the top five positions are Reno, Nevada; Billings, Montana; Riverside, California and Austin, Texas. The least drunk city, coming in at the 100 position, is Boston, Massachusetts.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Sedro Wooley Man gets 41 month sentence in fatal Skagit County DUI case

MOUNT VERNON A judge today sentenced a 26-year-old Sedro-Woolley man to more than three years in prison for killing a 22-year-old Burlington woman while driving under the influence of alcohol in May.


Adam Hayden pleaded guilty July 16 to vehicular homicide. He ran a red light on Highway 20, striking Chrystal Hansen as she drove.

Hansen’s fiance was in the passenger seat of car. The couple had planned to marry on July 18, and Hansen, who was pregnant, was studying to become a nurse.

Hayden failed a sobriety test at the scene, and a blood test showed his blood-alcohol level to be .09. State law considers a person drunk at .08.

Skagit County Superior Court Judge Mike Rickert sentenced Hayden to 41 months in prison and 18 months of community custody, the maximum in his range.

Rickert said the worst cases are those where young lives are taken, and especially those with as promising of a future as Hansen’s “all the people she would have touched and all the lives she would have saved as a nurse.”

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Skagit County Jail needs more room for DUIs

Aaron Burkhalter

Skagit Valley Herald

January 26, 2010 - 07:00 AM

If Skagit County had $150 million to spare, it would still take four or five years to build the 700-bed jail it needs.

As of today, the county has no money for a new jail and no set proposal to get it.

But Skagit County Jail Chief Gary Shand said with 193 people crammed into a building originally built to hold 83, he needs a solution now. The jail was converted so that it could hold up to 180, but it is 13 over capacity, even as officials avoid booking nonviolent offenders into the facility.

“We need help today, we need help in the interim, and we need help with the new jail,” Shand told the Skagit Valley Herald on Monday. “We’re at critical mass.”

County criminal justice officials met Friday and considered loosening rules to release people early for good behavior, building a temporary facility and extending alternatives to jail time to ease the burden on the jail.

The extra inmates are sleeping on mattresses on the floor or a mattress on a 6-inch-thick plastic “boat bed.” Most single-person cells have been converted to hold two people.

The county has 15 people held at jails in Snohomish and Okanogan counties at rates of about $50 a day.

The jail is turning away people who would normally spend at least one night there, Shand said. The jail can’t keep people with nonviolent misdemeanor offenses, he said.

Skagit County Sheriff’s Office Chief Criminal Deputy Will Reichardt said deputies have arrested people on felony charges — for things like identity theft or forgery — but couldn’t send them to jail. Deputies frequently give citations and a court order instead, a situation Reichardt described as frustrating.

“We want to make cases, prove cases and then we want to hold people accountable,” he said. “It’s very frustrating when you make a case and you have nowhere to put them.”

Shand has requested ongoing meetings with Skagit County’s prosecutor, public defender, sheriff and commissioners to come up with a solution to the ongoing problem.

The group has discussed alternative sentencing, such as community service, home-monitoring shortening sentences for good behavior and building a temporary, low-security facility for nonviolent offenders.

Shand said the jail simply needs more beds. Because the majority of people in the jail are awaiting trial and sentencing, alternative sentences don’t apply to most of those waiting. Of the 126 people in the jail’s medium-to-maximum-security housing area, 73 are “pre-sentence.” Of the 193 people total, 110 are pre-sentence.

County commissioners have been looking for ways to fund the new jail, and the county has considered purchasing property south of the current jail.

“We’ve been overbooked at the jail forever, and the cost is horrendous,” Commissioner Sharon Dillon said. “(But) a full-fledged jail is six, seven, eight years down the road.”

The commissioners seem to favor a three-tenths of one percent sales tax to pay for the estimated $150 million facility, but are reticent to adopt a tax while residents suffer in a poor economy with high unemployment.

But Commissioner Ron Wesen said the sales tax is probably the best answer because it can tax people traveling through the county and doesn’t force property owners to shoulder the cost.

“If you’re not spending money, you don’t have to pay sales tax,” Wesen said. “It’s a choice, not just based on the property you own.”

But, as Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt said, even if the county found the money solution today, the new jail wouldn’t be open for years.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Lynnwood, Snohomish County Officer recognized for DUI arrests

By Cara Solomon
Seattle Times reporter

Mark Brinkman is an 11-year veteran of the Lynnwood Police Department.

It doesn't matter how many years pass. Officer Mark Brinkman will never forget that night on Whidbey Island — the night he came home with blood on his uniform, the blood of a 16-year-old girl.

For more information on this story check out this link:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2004101479_brinkman02n0.html



For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com

Snohomish County bars top DUI list

By Jennifer Sullivan

Times Snohomish County Bureau

Depending on whom you believe, Snohomish County is either home to five of the top 15 bars and taverns in the state that may have overserved customers this year or law-enforcement officers there are cracking down on the problem.

For the second time in two years, a Lynnwood tavern has topped the list as the bar most often named by drunken-driving suspects after they've been stopped and cited by police. Three Everett bars and a Bothell tavern also are on the list of the top 15 establishments that may have overserved customers, which is compiled by the Washington State Liquor Control Board.

While Daverthumps Pub & Galley was named by 54 drunken-driving suspects in 2004, Lynnwood police, State Patrol troopers and a senior enforcement officer with the Liquor Control Board say the top ranking is not entirely fair.

State Patrol Sgt. Rod Gullberg, who supervises the agency's breath-test section, said only 20 percent of police, deputies and troopers statewide are asking drunken-driving suspects where they were served. Gullberg said he has sent memos to troopers this year reminding them that asking suspects where they were drinking is one of the 14 questions required to be typed into a database by all law-enforcement officers when testing someone suspected of DUI.

"Some agencies do a better job than others," Gullberg said. "I can't say Snohomish County is doing a better job than others."

In the majority of the more than 40,000 DUI tests performed this year, officers are using a generic code — to either indicate drivers refused to say where they had been drinking, didn't recall where they were served or simply refused to answer — instead of naming the establishment they had been at, Gullberg said.

He thinks this is because many officers are in a hurry.

About a fourth of all breath tests in the state were performed in King County this year. Of the 15 bars named by the Liquor Control Board, one is in King County.

Kate Miyasato, senior enforcement officer for the Liquor Control Board's Northwest Region, said the list is only used for educational purposes. Businesses on the list aren't fined or punished; she said the hope is that law-enforcement and liquor-control officers will work closer with the bars to cut down on overservice.

"I think the reason Snohomish County is more prolific on the list is because we have more of a propensity to make DUI arrests," said Lynnwood police Sgt. Chuck Steichen. "There are agencies out there where there is no desire to push for DUI arrests."

In 2003, more DUI arrests were made in Lynnwood than in nearly any other city in the state, Steichen said. He said the department considers catching drunks a priority and finding out where the suspect has been drinking is a mandatory part of the process.

Don Mayfield, Daverthumps owner, doesn't fault Lynnwood police for doing their jobs but said his business is in a tough spot because police are so focused on drunken driving.

Mayfield said he's working closely with police and the Liquor Control Board to find ways to lower the number of drunken drivers leaving the bar. He said Daverthumps doesn't serve double shots or pitchers of beer after 12:30 a.m. and often talks patrons into finding alternate ways to get home to keep them from driving drunk.

"We probably do more than any other bar to curb overservice," Mayfield said.

For information on your Washington State DUI please contact our Snohomish County DUI attorneys, King County DUI attorneys, Island County DUI attorneys, or Skagit County DUI attorneys at 425-493-1115 or check out our website at http://www.washdui.com