On March 2, a Washington man was taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving. The incident took place at approximately 12:23 a.m. in Parkland.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a hit-and-run accident outside the Parkland Manor Apartments. Witnesses said that a man had smashed his car into a parked vehicle and then drove off. After allegedly driving down the wrong side of 106 Street, he headed down Sales Road, where he crashed into a second vehicle.

Once the defendant was apprehended, he allegedly admitted to deputies that he was drunk. He also offered one of the deputies money, but he was turned down. Two blood alcohol tests indicated that he had a blood alcohol content level of .255 and .262, respectively. The legal limit in Washington is .08. He was taken to a local hospital for observation and later booked into the county jail. He has been charged with driving under the influence, hit-and-run of an unattended vehicle, hit-and-run of an attended vehicle and driving with a suspended license.

DUI and DWI charges can lead to harsh consequences in Washington. If convicted, typical penalties for drunk driving often include heavy fines, incarceration and the loss of driving privileges. However, many defendants avoid such outcomes by retaining the services of a criminal defense attorney. In some situations, an attorney may be able to dispute the results of any blood alcohol or field sobriety tests a defendant submitted to. In other circumstances, an attorney may argue that the authorities did not have the requisite reasonable suspicion to conduct the traffic stop.

Source: Puyallup Patch, “‘I’m Drunk’ Driver Tells Pierce County Deputies After Crash“, Hoa Quach, March 5, 2018