DUI crash injures two near Newport

Two people were injured in a DUI crash in Pend Oreille County Thursday night, the Washington State Patrol said. A release from patrol said Gilbert Smolik, 25, of Texas, was southbound on Viet Road about 12 miles west of Newport just after 8 p.m. when the 1990 Dodge Dakota pickup failed to negotiate a curve and went off the roadway, striking a tree. Smolik and his passenger, Robert Meyers, 37, of Newport, were both injured and taken to local hospitals. Neither was wearing a seatbelt, according to patrol. Smolik will face charges for vehicular assault, the release said, as drugs or alcohol are suspected to be factors in the crash.