Football player accepts plea deal in DUI case
Washington lawmaker Timm Ormsby has apologized to voters for his ‘very poor choice” after being charged with driving while under the influence. The Democrat, who has served in the legislature since 2003 and chairs the influential House Appropriations Committee, was taken into custody on Feb. 10 after being involved in a one-car accident on 58th Avenue NW about three miles west of the Olympia city limits. Reports indicate that Ormsby lost control of his Jeep Cherokee as he made a turn.
Officers say that they arrived at the scene to find Ormsby receiving medical treatment in a fire department aid vehicle. The legislator is said to have admitted drinking two 12-ounce beers earlier in the day and two 16-ounce beers while working on budget issues when officers questioned him about the strong smell of alcohol that was allegedly emanating from his overturned vehicle. According to reports, Ormsby was taken into custody after failing to complete a series of standardized field sobriety tests.
A subsequent breath test is said to have measured Ormsby’s blood alcohol level at .10 percent. Infrared scanning equipment was then used to provide more accurate figures. The scan produced a blood alcohol reading of .09 percent, and Ormsby was charged with driving with a blood-alcohol level of at least .09 percent when he appeared before a Thurston County District Court on Feb. 12.
Toxicology test results may be challenged by criminal defense attorneys when their clients suffer from certain medical conditions or questions arise about the equipment used or the way that samples were handled. However, lawyers may seek to settle drunk driving cases at the negotiating table when the evidence against their clients is compelling. When no bystanders have been injured, and their clients have not been in trouble with the law before, attorneys could urge prosecutors to reduce DUI charges or penalties in return for a speedy resolution.
Source: Komo News, State legislator from Spokane cited for DUI, Komo staff, Feb. 13, 2018
Source: The Spokesman-Review, Rep. Timm Ormsby rolls Jeep, charged with DUI, Jim Camden, Feb. 13, 2018
Wamedia