Last week, the driver of Snohomish Senior Center van was pulled over and charged with a DUI by the Washington State Patrol. The stop occurred on Highway 2 and happened after the driver's 11 elderly passengers called for him to stop. The driver, a 45 year old Lake Stevens man, has not only been charged with DUI, but also 11 counts of reckless endangerment.
As KIRO 7 reports, the seniors were being transported to a community tulip festival when they noticed that the driver—who was also on the phone and eating at the time—began to swerve on the road. The van reached Highway 2 and, shortly after, struck two jersey barriers. Passengers spotted nearby troopers and were able to convince the driver to pull over. Investigators found a depressant and hydrocodone in his DUI blood test.
KIRO 7 has also found that this is not the driver's first DUI charge. He was also charged with DUI in 2014. Those charges are still being processed by the court system. He will appear before a judge on these newest charges this week.
Drug DUI Charges
Drug DUIs are still a burgeoning branch of DUI enforcement. It is more difficult to test for the presence of drugs in a driver's system than it is to test for the presence of alcohol—and some of the tests are not accurate enough to convincingly stand in court.
Still, drug DUI convictions—whether they involve illegal substances or prescription drugs—can lead to serious consequences:
- Jail time
- Fines
- Probation
- License suspension
- Counseling
- Vehicle impoundment
- Community service
If you have been charged with a DUI that involved drugs, then the time to contact proper counsel is now. At my firm, DUIHeroes, I deal exclusively with DUI and DUI-related charges and bring more than a decade of experience to each one of my clients' cases. Not only can they rest assured that I'll exhaustively explore every legal avenue to fight their charges, but will also utilize a private investigator to augment my firm's defense efforts on their behalf. This high level of service has earned meSuper Lawyers® Rising Stars℠recognition.
The defense you need is within reach. Contact me to speak with a Lynnwood DUI defense attorney ready to put your needs first.