Officers made two separate, but very similar arrests, in the last couple of days involving driving under the influence with a child in the vehicle. In both cases, the driver was arrested and the child was unharmed.
On Friday, August 4th, at about 8:40 am, an officer was dispatched to a report of a Kia Soul driving erratically and stopping in the middle of traffic near Rainier Avenue South and South Charlestown Street. Officers located the vehicle and observed the erratic driving. The Kia was stopped and the officer observed two adults and a 6-day-old child inside. The driver, a 19-year-old female, was evaluated and arrested for driving under the influence. The adult passenger was also exhibiting signs of impairment, so the passenger was in no condition to care for the infant. Child Protective Services was contacted and responded to take custody of the child. The driver was later booked into the King County Jail.
On Monday, August 7th, at approximately 11:30 pm, officers made a traffic stop on a suspected impaired driver at 13th Avenue and Madison Street. Officers found that both the adult driver and passenger were intoxicated, and there were open containers of alcohol in the car. An 11-month-old child was found unrestrained in the back seat. The driver, a 31-year-old woman, had an extensive history of DUI arrests and had a suspended driver’s license. The driver was evaluated and was arrested for impaired driving. Child Protective Services was notified, but officers were able to locate a family member who responded to take custody of the child. The driver was later booked into the King County Jail.
Just a reminder that in Washington you may be charged with driving under the influence if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of:
- 0.08%, if you’re 21 years old and over.
- 0.04%, if you are driving a commercial vehicle.
- 0.02%, if you are younger than 21 years old.
The severity of your punishment may vary depending on how high your BAC is when you are arrested. You may also receive DUI-like penalties even if your BAC is under the legal limit.