Man convicted of taxi driver assault cited for allegedly driving into oncoming traffic
A Bellingham man who released last month from Whatcom County jail after eluding police vehicles and assaulting a taxi driver last summer was cited over the weekend for driving intoxicated into oncoming traffic and leaving his vehicle parked on a sidewalk.
Patrick Charles Olberg, 23, was cited Dec. 21 for reckless driving and third-degree driving with a suspended license.
Olberg was released from jail Nov. 10, having completed his sentences for assaulting a Bellingham Taxi driver and leaving him in the middle of the street and eluding police vehicles, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.
Olberg was arrested three times in as many weeks in late June and July for a drive-by shooting, eluding police vehicles and the taxi driver assault. Olberg’s drive-by shooting case was dismissed in exchange for guilty pleas in his two other cases, and he was sentenced to six months in jail on Oct. 10. He is currently on probation for a year.
Court records show Olberg served 122 days of his sentence from the time he was arrested for the taxi driver assault to the time he was released. He also got credit for time served, good behavior and for being an inmate worker.
At 12:41 a.m. on Saturday, Olberg and another man were seen leaving Bob’s Burgers & Brew in Barkley Village. A witness believed Olberg was intoxicated, but got into his car and drove away, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy. The witness called 911.
After leaving the restaurant, Olberg allegedly drove his car southbound in the northbound lanes of Woburn Street and then swerved into the correct lanes, Murphy said. Olberg was also speeding, she said.
“Shortly after which, Olberg somehow got perpendicular to the sidewalk and left his car parked there,” Murphy said.
Olberg was the registered owner of the car, lived nearby, a K-9 track led to his house and a witness identified him as the driver, Murphy said. Olberg, whose license is suspended, was cited, Murphy said.
He did not come to the door, so he was cited by summons, she said.
