Whatcom County ballot box, vehicles hit in suspected drunk driving crashes
Whatcom County law enforcement on Monday arrested a man suspected of driving drunk and crashing a vehicle into multiple items in Blaine over the weekend.
Police said the 48-year-old man drove a vehicle with a passenger on Oct. 12. The passenger later told police the suspect had struck a ballot box located at the Blaine Library, a tree, multiple vehicles and driven on the wrong side of the road several times, according to Blaine Police Department Deputy Chief Brent Greene.
Police found the suspect at his house in Birch Bay the following day. Investigators also noticed the suspected vehicle used in the crashes at the residence. The vehicle had its front fender torn off and the front passenger side tire was missing, Greene said.
The suspect showed signs of being intoxicated while talking with officers, admitted to driving the vehicle after drinking alcohol, and told police he “probably” struck a few things on the way home, according to Greene.
A Breathalyzer showed the suspect had a blood-alcohol level that was three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to Greene.
It was later discovered that the suspect had a driving status that required him to have an ignition interlock device on his vehicle, which was not installed on the vehicle he was suspected of having been driving, Greene said.
The man was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run of an unattended vehicle, reckless endangerment, DUI, operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device and third-degree driving with a license suspended.
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