Drunken-Driving Arrests Down In City, Up Elsewhere

Incidents of New Year’s Eve drunken driving were down in the city of Spokane, but up in the outlying areas and in the Spokane Valley, according to police.

The Washington State Patrol reported 14 arrests for drunken driving in Spokane County. That is up from last year, according to WSP.

But Spokane Police chief Terry Mangan, who was on patrol New Year’s Eve, said the holiday was slower than normal.

Just three drivers were arrested for drunken driving in the city after midnight.

The number of drunken driving arrests before midnight was not available Monday.

Mangan thinks the drop is because of changing views of alcohol. “He said, ‘I think lifestyles are changing in the area of alcohol consumption,”’ according to police spokesman Dick Cottam.

Cottam said there was nothing out of the ordinary - just the holiday routine of complaints of shots being fired and domestic violence.

According to the Washington State Patrol, there were just four drunken-driving arrests in rural Eastern Washington.

“Believe it or not, we didn’t book anybody last night,” an Adams County dispatcher said.

In Idaho, there were 12 drunken drivers arrested and sent to the Kootenai County jail, according to jail officials.

While some area residents were partying, Jacob Kennedy Rathbone and Camden James Felton were getting their first sleep.

Jacob was Spokane’s unofficial New Year’s baby, born at 2:10 a.m. Monday at Deaconess Medical Center to Michael and Paula Rathbone; Camden was Coeur d’Alene’s first, born at 2:56 a.m at Kootenai Medical Center to Dan and Kimberly Felton.

Both babies were healthy and each weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce.

, DataTimes