A man believed to have been drunk behind the wheel has been detained and charged, according to local sources. Washington police arrested the man after he reportedly drove 14 miles in the wrong direction on Route 3 on the night of Nov. 1. The 23-year-old man faces drunk driving charges, as well as reckless endangerment and reckless driving. He could lose his license and face jail time and heavy fines if convicted.
Multiple calls were received by local police around 3:30 a.m. on the night in question, suggesting a driver was traveling in the wrong direction and almost causing serious collisions. Deputies responding to the incident called for a spike strip to be placed, which disabled the man’s vehicle. When questioned by police, the man reportedly smelled strongly of intoxicants and appeared to not understand the situation.
The man was taken into custody, though it does not appear his female passenger was similarly detained. He was taken to jail, where he apparently continued to display signs of confusion. State troopers report the man passed some 30-40 vehicles while traveling the wrong way on Route 3, though, thankfully, no collisions resulted.
It is clear from police reports and multiple witness statements that the man was indeed traveling the wrong way on the road, but it remains to be seen if Washington authorities can prove in a court of law that he was drinking before driving. In order for a conviction to be secured for the drunk driving charges, the prosecution will have to provide evidence of the man’s intoxication. A failure to do so could result in the case being dismissed.
Source: centralkitsapreporter.com, “Bremerton man arrested after driving 14 miles against SR 3 traffic“, Chris Tucker, Nov. 2, 2015