Tacoma councilman arrested for DUI
Jan 21, 2013, 6:33 AM | Updated: 6:35 am
A Tacoma City Councilman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Saturday night but the Washington State Patrol said he didn’t try to use his political position to get him out of the situation.
Councilman Ryan Mello smelled like alcohol when he was pulled over, driving a car full of passengers, according to WSP trooper Guy Gill.
The trooper asked Mello to step out of his car and ran him through field sobriety tests. The trooper determined that he was impaired and put him under arrest for driving under the influence.
Gill said Mello’s blood alcohol content reading was over 0.08. “He was polite and cooperative. During the entire time he did not identify himself as a councilman. He was treated no different than anyone else.”
He was processed for the DUI and charges will be filed through the Pierce County attorney’s office.
KIRO Radio’s Frank Shiers contributed to this report.
