A teen and toddler’s dad, more DUI arrests
Aug 24, 2010, 2:58 PM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
Washington State Patrol troopers make a lot of DUI arrests, but a few recent incidents highlight the sad and even pathetic nature of drunk driving.
Drivers helped troopers catch a 17 year old DUI driver after she crashed into a guardrail on northbound I-5 in Federal Way.
After damaging 15 feet of guardrail and puncturing her front tire she drove away in an attempt to get to her home in Auburn. A witness followed her until her 1997 BMW became disabled on the off ramp to S. 320th Street. The teen juvenile first told the trooper that she fell asleep behind the wheel before admitting she had been drinking alcohol. Her BAC level registered at a .084, which is four times the legal limit for a minor.
In another case, a 57 year old Burien man was arrested after troopers first stopped him for failing to wear a seatbelt. The trooper stopped the 4-Runner and immediately detected that the driver was under the influence of alcohol, including two 40 ounce beer bottles lying on the front seat. The suspect’s three-year-old son was riding in the back seat. The guy’s blood alcohol level was .102.
Last week the State Patrol busted a driver who blew a 0.326 after a hit and run collision. And that was the lowest of two blood-alcohol tests on the guy, whom they described as a stay-at-home dad.
Troopers along with local police agencies have a year-long emphasis patrol project underway to get drunk drivers off the road. The Target Zero Team made 200 drunk-driving arrests in King County alone in July.