A holiday season crackdown on drunken driving led to 219 arrests across Spokane, Pend Oreille and Ferry counties.

That’s up from 197 arrests during the same period a year earlier, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The increase is attributed to the first-ever “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement effort from Nov. 21 to Jan. 1 targeting drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Statewide, 3,446 motorists were arrested during the crackdown.

Participating in the Eastern Washington crackdown were the following law enforcement agencies: Cheney, Airway Heights, Eastern Washington University, Republic, Spokane and Spokane Valley police departments; the Spokane, Pend Oreille and Ferry County sheriff’s offices; and the Washington State Patrol, with the support of the Spokane County Target Zero Task Force.

The extra patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

An alleged drunk driver was arrested early Friday morning after driving the wrong way on Division and speeding away from authorities, according to a Washington State Patrol news release.

The trooper tried to pull over the driver, identified as Ian S. Hill, 26, around midnight, but Hill sped away into a parking lot near Boone Avenue and Washington Street, the news release said. The flight made Hill’s truck spin off the roadway onto Atlantic Street and hit a sign.

Hill reportedly drove through another parking lot and into an alleyway where he crashed into a concrete wall and then a neighboring building, according to the news release.

Hill was not injured during the crash and neither was his passenger. He was arrested and booked into Spokane County Jail driving under the influence and hit and run charges.

The court hearing was postponed Wednesday for Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan, who was charged last month with DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

Crocker did not appear before Spokane County District Judge Sara Derr. But his attorney, Julie Twyford, did appear. She said the judge agreed to move the hearing to Oct. 10 at 1:30 p.m.

Crocker, 63, was charged Aug. 14 following a crash with a semi-truck at a busy Spokane Valley intersection. He reportedly drove away from the crash and was followed by a witness who alerted Washington State Patrol troopers.

The Spokane Valley native retired from the U.S. State Department in July, citing health reasons and left the Afghanistan capital of Kabul at a period of transition as the United States prepares to withdraw most of its troops from the country by the end of 2014. He also oversaw the reconstruction of war-torn Iraq.

Read previous coverage of the crash that resulted in his DUI charges here.

The Spokane Police Department provided this photo of the crash on the SPD Facebook page.

A 21-year-old Spokane man was arrested for vehicular assault after crashing his truck head-on into a semi truck on Thursday and injuring his passenger.

Joseph A. Hussey's blood-alcohol level registered at .224 before he was jailed on a vehicular assault charge for the crash in the 3900 block of East Broadway Avenue, according to the Spokane Police Department.

The legal limit for driving is .08.

Police say he smelled of intoxicants and told them he was going to home to Spokane Valley from the Satellite bar downtown.

Hussey also slurred his speech and failed field sobriety tests, police say.

He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on the felony charge.

A chronic drunken driving suspect who badly injured a sheriff's deputy in a crash about 10 years ago has been sentenced to two years in prison on drug charges.

James Lee Crabtree, 51, is in the Spokane County Jail awaiting transport to prison after being sentenced to 24 months for possession of a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance.

He was sentenced last month to a year in jail and two years probation for a felony DUI charge.

Crabtree was a Spokane County sheriff's deputy in the 1980s. He went to prison for vehicular assault in 2003 and was arrested in November 2011 on suspicion of drunken driving after motorists noticed him passing out at the wheel of his car.

Police found an open can of Four Loko in the car, but his blood-alcohol level was under the legal limit for driving, and he was never charged. His current convictons stems from drunken driving and meth arrests in April and July.

In January, Crabtree was assaulted in a home-invasion robbery in which two assailants demanded “dope and money,” according to court documents.

A commercial pilot was drunk when he landed a plane at the Spokane International Airport in April, federal prosecutors allege.

Paul Robbin Roessler, of Federal Way, is to appear in U.S. District Court in Spokane June 29 for a charge operating a common carrier under the influence of alcohol, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

The charge alleges Roessler flew a twin engine PA-34 aircraft for Airpac Airlines, Inc., from Boeing Field in Seattle to the Spokane airport while drunk on April 26.

A federal grand jury indicted him last week. Airport spokesman Todd Woodward directed questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office, which has not immediately returned a phone call.

Federal aviation records say Roessler was a certified commercial pilot and flight instructor but that his certificates are no longer active.

A man who answered the phone for Airpac Airlines identified himself as Roger and declined comment. The company is described on its website as a a contract cargo operator based out of Boeing Field since 1976.
  

A man described by sheriff's deputies as “extremely intoxicated” crashed his Jeep Cherokee into trees near Handy and Hatch roads in Colbert early Saturday.

Warren Anderson, 22, said he couldn't remember how much he had to drink but “it was a lot,” the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said today. Anderson had a pill in a piece of burned foil that he said he was a “Roxi” but also said “that he did not really know what he was smoking,” the sheriff's office said.

Deputy Chad Ruff determined the pill was the narcotic Roxicodone. He and Deputy Scott Kenoyer contacted Anderson after responding to the one-car crash about 4:30 a.m.

A witness told dispatcher he'd seen the Jeep at the intersection of Handy and Hatch about a half an hour earlier, and the driver was sitting in the driver's seat not moving. He saw the Jeep crashed when he drove back through the intersection.

Deputies said they smelled a strong odor of intoxicants as they approached the Jeep. They said Anderson refused to exit the vehicle but “was placed under arrest” for drunken driving and began to cooperate, according to the sheriff's office.

Anderson was booked into jail on charges of driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance.

A retired Spokane firefighter with a history of impaired driving and a conviction for vehicular homicide has been sentenced to 17 months in prison for drunken driving.

A jury convicted David W. Batty, 56, of drunken driving after a short trial in Spokane County Superior Court earlier this month.

He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on Friday, where he's awaiting transport to prison to begin his sentence. He'll be credited for time already spend in jail, which includes the month he was there after his arrest in January.

Batty had a blood-alcohol level of twice the legal limit for driving when he was stopped for speeding about 11:30 a.m. in January 2011 at milepost 310 on U.S. Highway 2.  Batty told police that he had two drinks early that morning and had taken four prescription medications, according to court documents.

The charge was a felony because Batty has a previous conviction for a fatal, alcohol-related car crash in 1993.

Batty was rehired by the Spokane Fire Department after serving time in prison for vehicular homicide but was on medical leave when he caused a crash in January 2007 that killed three people. He was not charged in that crash but never returned to the Fire Department.

Then in 2009, he was sentenced to nine months in jail after he was stopped in July 2008 and tests showed he was impaired on prescription drugs and alcohol.

A Whitworth University student and convicted felon pleaded not guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in connection with a crash in East Spokane on Aug. 9 that killed the passenger.

Michael S. Lindsly, 46, appeared before Superior Court Judge Michael Price and was given a trial date of Oct. 17. Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Stefanie Collins said Lindsly was driving an estimated “70 to 100 mph” in a 35 mph zone when he crashed his 2002 Mercury Sable near the intersection of Alki Way and Broadway Avenue, killing 31-year-old passenger Blair C. Riding.

Lindsly, a 10-time felon who carries a 3.8 grade point average at Whitworth, poses a risk to the community, Collins said.

Price agreed to lower the bond from $100,000 to $75,000, but he ordered Lindsly not to drive while the charge remains pending.

Lindsly is described as a leader in the substance-abuse recovery community.

A Spokane man accused of causing a drunken crash that killed his passenger is a leader in the addiction recovery community and is studying to get his master's degree at Whitworth University, his girlfriend said today.

Michael Shane Lindsly, 46, appeared in Superior Court today via video from the jail, where he was booked after being treated at a hospital for injuries sustained in the Aug. 9 crash.

A vehicular homicide charge was filed against Lindsly on Thursday.

His bail was set at $100,000 today after Judge Michael Price heard from his girlfriend, Lacey Jones. Defense lawyers did not ask for a lower bond.

Lindsly is accused of crashing a 2002 Mercury Sable  and killing Blair C. Riding, 31, while speeding on Broadway Avenue at Alki Way.

Witnesses said the car appeared to be going at least 70 mph. Police say they smelled alcohol in the car and on Lindsly’s breath.

Riding, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

(AP) OLYMPIA — As of Friday, Washington motorists arrested for DUI will also have their vehicle impounded.

The new state law requires a 12-hour hold be placed on cars driven by suspected drunk drivers.

One of the major reasons behind the law is that many jails don't have the room to hold DUI suspects overnight, and are often forced to release them while they are still intoxicated.

“This is about making sure that impaired drivers don't return to their cars and drive again before they've sobered up,” said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “This isn't about trying to punish someone for driving drunk. If they're found guilty that will become the court's job.”

The three exceptions to the DUI impound law are:

* If the vehicle is owned by someone other than the arrested person, such as a business owner, the owner may reclaim the car at the tow lot.

* A registered co-owner may go to the tow company and redeem the vehicle.

* Commercial or farm transport vehicles reclaimed by a legal owner who is not the arrested subject. Commercial and farm transport vehicles are the only types that can be released at the site of the arrest.

Drivers who don't meet these exceptions will be allowed to retrieve their vehicle from impound 12 hours after their arrest.

A Spokane man who injured a state trooper in a crash on Interstate 90 three years ago is wanted on a felony drunken driving charge.

William David Zink, 32, was charged last month, nearly one year after a sheriff's deputy pulled him over for speeding on East Broadway Avenue and observed slurred speech, poor balance and the smell of alcohol.

Zink failed sobriety tests and provided breath samples that showed blood-alcohol levels of .202 and .189, according to court documents. The legal limit for driving is .08.

Zink was sentenced to 15 months in prison for causing a car crash in August 2008 that injured state Trooper Allen Larned and a driver who had been stopped by Larned. Having a felony conviction for vehicular homicide or vehicular assault while intoxicated means any future drunken driving arrests are felony cases.

Crime Stoppers offered a reward Monday for tips that lead to the arrest of Zink, whose criminal hsitory includes convictions for reckless driving, driving while license suspended, vehicular assault, violation of a court order, failure to cooperate, first-degree possession of stolen property, first-degree theft, third-degree theft, domestic violence assault and DUI.

Zink, 5-foot-11 and 145 pounds, last gave a home address in the 7600 block of East Broadway in Spokane Valley.

Anyone with information on his current location is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit tips online.

NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio (AP) — Police in Ohio say a woman insisted on picking up some fast food before she allowed an officer to charge her with drunken driving.

The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland reports police in suburban North Royalton got a call about a car weaving and going off a road at a little after 1 a.m. earlier this month.

A patrolman tracked the vehicle to the drive-thru of a Taco Bell restaurant and pulled up alongside. The police report says the driver had sunglasses on and her speech was slurred. She was ordered to get out of the line, but first she proceeded to the second window to grab her order.

Police say the woman's blood-alcohol level tested at nearly twice the legal limit.

Meghann's note: This reminds me of an article I wrote back in 2008 about DUI arrests at drive throughs. Check it out here.

A chronic drunken driver convicted of vehicular homicide in 1990 was arrested early Thursday on suspension of drunken driving.

Lance Dean Falcon, 44, of Plummer, Idaho, had a blood-alcohol level of .167 and .162 in two breathe samples submitted at the Spokane Public Safety Building after a Washington State Patrol trooper stopped him for speeding about 6 a.m. near Madison Road and Dishman Mica Road.

Falcon had an unopened can of Keystone Ice beer in his car, and police say they found an empty can of the same beer tossed in the street near where Falcon’s pickup stopped. They also say he smelled of alcohol and had glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

Falcon said he was headed to a laundry mat than a golf tournament at Circling Raven that day at 11 a.m. He told police he’d had a “few” drinks and four to five hours of sleep, according to a police report. He gave an initial breath test of .169 before he was arrested for drunken driving and taken to the police station.

“Falcon said several times that he was done because this was his third strike,” according to the report.

Falcon faces a felony DUI charge because of his previous conviction for vehicular homicide. He also was arrested for drunken driving in 1996, 1998 and 2008, according to Idaho court records.

The 1998 arrest resulted from a serious car crash in North Idaho that injured a pregnant woman and her 3-year-old son.

A man upset because he couldn't locate a family member's grave fired a gun in a Spokane cemetery Sunday, leading to his arrest, police said today.

The city’s job offer to Brad Thoma came the same day a Spokane County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced in Spokane County District Court for drunken driving for an April incident. 

Darin M. Schaum (pictured with his lawyer in April) pleaded guilty to driving under the influence and was ordered to spend 15 days on electronic home monitoring, be on probation for two years and perform 24 hours of community service. He’ll be required to drive with an ignition interlock device on his car for a year.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said he will sign a waiver to allow Schaum to drive a patrol car without the device but won’t sign them for any future DUI arrests for any employees.

“Because of the seriousness of DUI, I’m just not willing to sign waivers anymore,” Knezovich said.

Schaum refused to submit a blood sample for alcohol tests after his arrest but retained his driver’s license after a hearing with the state Department of Licensing.

He’ll lose it for 90 days because of the DUI conviction but will have an occupational license allowing him to drive during work, Knezovich said.

Schaum was suspended for three weeks last summer because of the arrest, Knezovich said. Lt. Stephen Jones, who was cited for drunken driving after a crash in Liberty Lake last January, was suspended for two weeks. His DUI charge has not been resolved.

Past coverage:

April 28: Sheriff's deputy pleads not guilty to drunken driving

A former Spokane police sergeant fired after a drunken hit-and-run crash has been offered a spot as a detective after a change in state law lifted his driving restrictions.

City officials notified Bradley N. Thoma on Friday that he can return at the demoted level immediately after he obtained an unrestricted driver’s license this week, said Marlene Feist, city spokeswoman.

Thoma left the Spokane Police Department in December 2009 after Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said he wouldn’t be able to work as long as he was required to drive with an ignition interlock device.

But the state Legislature adjusted the law effective Jan. 1, and Thoma no longer has to drive with the device.

Thoma, a 20-year police veteran, has not yet accepted the position, which pays between $74,000 and $82,000 annually. He made about $91,000 as a sergeant.

Read my full story here.

Past coverage:

Dec. 23, 2009: Thoma files $4 million claim against city

Nov. 14, 2009: Police sergeant avoids prosecution

A retired Spokane firefighter with a history of impaired driving and a conviction for vehicular homicide was arrested again Thursday after a state trooper smelled alcohol on his breath.

David W. Batty, 55, of Elk, had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit for driving when he was stopped for speeding about 11:30 a.m. at milepost 310 on U.S. Highway 2, according to Washington State Patrol.

Batty was arrested for felony drunken driving because of a conviction in 1993 for a fatal, alcohol-related car crash on the same road.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price set Batty’s bond at $5,000 today and prohibited him from driving and from consuming alcohol.

“Apparently Mr. Batty’s had some alcohol treatment on a couple of occasions, and, regretfully, it doesn’t appear to have taken hold,” Price said. I’m sure Mr. Batty is a nice gentleman, but I’ve got some real concerns about him being out there driving a vehicle with his inability to control his alcohol consumption.”

Deputy Prosecutor George Gagnon said he wasn’t concerned that Batty was a flight risk.

“We’re more interested here in community safety,” Gagnon said. “He’s already killed one person.”

Batty was rehired by the Spokane Fire Department after serving time in prison for vehicular homicide but was on medical leave when he caused a crash in January 2007 that killed three people. He was not charged in that crash but never returned to the Fire Department.

Batty’s latest DUI conviction came after he was stopped in July 2008 and tests showed he was impaired on prescription drugs and alcohol. He was sentenced to nine months in jail in 2009 for felony drunken driving.

Batty told police on Thursday that he had two drinks early that morning and had taken four prescription medications.

His public defender, Derek Reid, said Batty is in “significant pain” because of a back injury.

A Deer Park man was arrested early today after a deputy who stopped to help him with his broken down truck found $1,200 and nearly two ounces of marijuana in the vehicle.

Trevor L. Weger, 30, was with his Toyota pickup at Highway 395 and Hatch Road when Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Robert Brooke contacted him about 2:45 a.m.

Brooke said Weger appeared to be intoxicated and called a state trooper for assistance. The trooper arrested Weger for driving under the influence; and a passenger who was later released handed Brooke a plastic container with four baggies of marijuana.

The trooper, who Sgt. Dave Reagan said was searching for vehicle registration, found cash and marijuana in the truck’s center console. The pot weighed 47 grams, and police counted more than $1,200 in cash, according to a news release by Reagan.

Weger was booked into Spokane County Jail on a drunken driving charge and a felony charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver.

A suspected drunken driver whose blood-alcohol content registered at .354 told police he hadn’t had enough to drink.

Donald J. Lafavor, 66, was driving southbound in a northbound lane on Argonne Road just north of Trent Avenue when a Washington State Patrol trooper spotted him about 1:22 a.m. on Sunday.

Trooper Darren Britton approached Lafavor in a fast food restaurant parking lot.

“I asked Lafavor how much he’d had to drink and his reply was ‘not enough,’” Britton said in a report. “He said he was going to go home and have more to drink.”

After registering a blood-alcohol content more than four times the legal limit for driving, “Lafavor commented to himself that he didn’t know how he got that high,” Britton wrote. “…He tried to convince me the cold medicine was why his blood alcohol level was so high.”

Lafavor, who has two previous drunken driving convictions, left jail Tuesday night after posting $7,500 bond for the driving charges and for a felony assault case connected to a confrontation with two Spokane County sheriff’s deputies. He did not answer a cell phone call seeking comment.

Lafavor was shot by the deputies several times and is charged with second-degree assault for allegedly pointing a gun at them.

Superior Court Judge Michael Price on Tuesday prohibited Lafavor from driving or consuming alcohol.