Woman Arrested for DUI After Crashing into a Pole in Pullman, WA

On June 17, 2024 at approximately 7:04 PM, Officer Nathan Padrta with the Pullman Police Department was dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle crash involving a 2018 Nissan Sentra in the vicinity of S Grand Avenue and SE Paradise Street. As he arrived on scene, he noticed that the Nissan Sentra had struck a utility pole on SE Paradise Street near S Grand Avenue, and there was airbag deployment on the passenger side. He made contact with the driver, who was identified as 21-year-old Emily. Neither her nor her passenger were seriously injured.

As he was speaking with Emily, he detected the odor of alcohol, and she initially admitted to consuming 2 shots. Around this time, Officer Humphrey also arrived on scene to assist. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Officer Padrta led Emily to a level surface in a nearby parking lot and offered her opportunity to participate in field sobriety exercises.

Emily agreed to perform field sobriety exercises. The first field sobriety exercise was the horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Padrta observed lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second field sobriety test was the Walk and Turn test. This was attempted multiple times since she was unable to follow instructions. During one of her attempts Walk and Turn test, Emily took an incorrect number of steps, turned incorrectly, and failed to count in the correct sequence. The final field sobriety exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Emily failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion by putting it behind her body with a bent knee and put her foot down before the test was complete.

After the field sobriety exercises were complete, Officer Padrta asked Emily if she would be willing to take a preliminary breath test (PBT), but she hesitated and ultimately declined to do so. Based on the motor vehicle crash, the odor of alcohol, her admission to consuming alcohol, and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Officer Padrta placed Emily under arrest for driving under the influence. Emily was placed in the patrol car and transported to the Pullman Police Department for further processing.

Once they were at police HQ, Officer Padrta read Emily her Miranda rights as well as the Implied Consent Warning, and she agreed to submit breath samples for testing. After the breathalyzer was administered, her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.215% (lowest IR result). After Officer Padrta was finished with administering the breathalyzer, he placed Emily in a cell.

After a brief holding period, Emily was removed from the cell to be photographed and fingerprinted. Eventually, Officer Padrta returned her belongings to her and she was released with a summons to appear in court. Officer Padrta cited Emily under RCW 46.61.502 for driving under the influence.

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