WA house candidate Krista Perez pleads not guilty to DUI in Tacoma court
Sep 18, 2026, 12:25 PM | Updated: 3:06 pm
A photo of Krista Perez ahead of her DUI arrest. (Photo courtesy of Jason Rantz Show, Seattle Red 770 AM)
(Photo courtesy of Jason Rantz Show, Seattle Red 770 AM)
Washington state House candidate Krista Perez, charged with DUI after a five-vehicle crash in Tacoma, appeared in Tacoma Municipal Court Friday and pleaded not guilty.
Body camera footage from Aug. 11 — obtained by “The Jason Rantz Show” on Seattle Red 770 AM — shows 29th District Democratic candidate Perez admitting to a Tacoma officer she drank a glass of wine before her pickup truck struck a parked car, damaging five vehicles.
When the officer asked how big the glass was, she told him, “I think you might need to contact the business.”
The officer then asked Perez if she’d be willing to take field sobriety tests.
“You do have a choice,” he told her. “You can either say yes, or you can say no. They’re totally voluntary tests.”
“Yeah, I would like to go home first,” Perez responded.
The officer told her that was not an option. Perez declined the tests and was placed in handcuffs.
Perez repeatedly told the officer she did “not know what any of this means.”
“It means you’re under arrest for DUI. All right?” he tells her.
After being placed in the back of the patrol car, Perez can be heard on body camera footage crying and praying.
Tacoma Municipal Court Judge Steven J. Krupa released Perez on her own recognizance.
“Do not drive without a valid license and insurance. Do not consume or possess alcohol, cannabis, or any mood-altering substance, or use cannabis unless you have a prescription, to your next court date,” Krupa instructed her. “And do not refuse a BAC or blood test.”
Perez is due back in court on Oct. 30.
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
