Speeding Drunk Driver Turns Self In on I-90 — MIPD Blotter

A speeding motorist on Interstate 90 was arrested for suspicion of DUI on Wednesday, Jan. 2 after he unintentionally raced up behind a Mercer Island police vehicle, then slowed and voluntarily pulled his vehicle over to the highway shoulder.

Police say MIPD officer John Pritchard was driving a marked patrol car traveling east on I-90 between exits 8 and 7 at 10:56 p.m. when he noticed a blue Acura Integra in his rear-view mirror was approaching him at a "very high rate of speed", then quickly slowed.

Pritchard reported that when he slowed down, the Acura pulled over into the highway shoulder and voluntarily stopped before he illuminated his emergency lights. The police officer manuvered his patrol car, lights now flashing, behind the car and contacted a 22-year-old Bellevue man whom he suspected had been drinking.

The driver failed a portable breathalyzer test and was arrested, and later provided breathalyzer BAC results of .104 and .090, above the legal limit. He was cited and later released, and his vehicle was seized and impounded by police.

Dec. 29

Issaquah Highlands Resident Arrested for DUI on I-90
Police stopped a white Volkswagen Cabriolet on the 9600 block of eastbound Interstate 90 for a broken taillight and the officer noticed the strong odor of alcohol when he spoke to the driver, a 31-year-old woman. She was arrested and later provided BAC readings of 0.091 and 0.090.

Good to Go Pass, License Plate Stolen in Shorewood Heights
A 56-year-old resident of a home on the 9000 block of West Shorewood Drive reported a Good to Go toll pass and license plate had been stolen from a Subaru Legacy sometime between Dec. 22-29. The man later changed his license plate number for security reasons.

Dec. 30

MIPD DUI Enforcement Patrol Nets Arrest in Bellevue
An MIPD patrol officer patroling as part of a regional DUI enforcement campaign stopped a Toyota Corolla for driving without its headlights on and arrested a 23-year-old Bellevue man for DUI on the 7000 block of Bellevue Way at 1:03 a.m. He admitted to drinking 3 beers earlier in the evening and later tested a BAC of .093.

Jan. 1

MIPD DUI Enforcement Patrol Nets Another Bellevue Arrest
An MIPD patrol officer patroling as part of a regional DUI enforcement campaign stopped an Acura TL and arrested a 23-year-old Seattle man for DUI after he ras a red light on northbound 7th Street at Bellevue Way at 1:37 a.m.

Seattle Police Drop Off Scofflaw to MIPD
A 19-year-old Seattle man was arrested and transfered to MIPD police custody on a $5,000 warrant at 11 p.m. and was shortly thereafter booked into the Issaquah Jail.

Jan. 2

Elderly Resident Targeted by Fraudsters in Credit Card Scam
A 71-year-old resident of a home on the 7600 block of SE 27th Street reported someone had stolen his identity, Social Security number, and address and tried to use it on Dec. 31 to open a Visa charge card account to purchase gift cards. No accounts were actually opened and the man was notified by credit reporting agency Equifax before the application went through.

Bicycle Found Near Mary Wayte Pool
Mercer Island Police placed a bicycle into safekeeping after it sat for several days in front of Mary Wayte Pool.

New Hope Resident Threatens, Swears at Staff
A 50-year-old patient of New Hope - Mercer Island's physical therapy facility was reported by staff for malicious harassment over a three-week period. The man has a medical condition that prohibits staff from expelling him from the facility. He was warned by police that he would be taken to jail if he continued to harass and threaten staff.

Drunk Driver Drives Through Yard, Into Ditch Near MIHS
A 51-year-old Seattle woman drove a black Ford Fusion through the yard of a home on the 4200 block of 89th Ave. SE at 10:58 p.m. She gave the homeowner her business card and said her mother lived around the corner. Police found the woman one block east and appeared extremely drunk. She was arrested and a breathalyzer test later indicated her BAC was .174 and .167.

(Ed. Note: The Mercer Island Police Blotter is not intended to be representative of all crime on Mercer Island, but is instead a representation of police activity from the persepctive of the MIPD.)