PORT ANGELES — Police said a drunken driver plowed a Chevy Traverse SUV into First Federal’s downtown operations and technical center at 141 W. First St. at 2:20 a.m. Thursday, levelling a city fire hydrant and causing about $14,000 to $16,000 in damage but not disrupting bank services.
Armando S. Gonzalez, 33, of Port Angeles broke the hydrant, shattered the bank’s large sidewalk window and ran away from the wreck before authorities arrested him a quarter-mile away, police said.
Two Port Angeles police officers and a Clallam County Sheriff’s deputy arrested Gonzales at 2:40 a.m. Thursday outside CrossFit ThunderRidge at 325 W. Second St., according to a police report.
District Court Judge Pro-Tem Larry Freedman put a 72-hour-hold on Gonzales on Thursday afternoon and set $10,000 bail for investigation of driving under the influence and misdemeanor hit-and-run unattended.
A District Court hearing is 10 a.m. Monday.
“One of the issues in this is, this is a blood draw case for the DUI,” Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Roberson said.
“There can be lengthy delays until the lab gets back to us.
“We can’t hold someone for speedy trial purposes for months and months and months.
“That’s what I’m waiting for, to see if this is a case I can prove without the blood results if they don’t come back in time.”
Brett Bies, First Federal chief information officer, said damage to the building could exceed $10,000.
He said bank operations were not disrupted and the interactive teller machine was not damaged.
Replacement costs for the city fire hydrant are estimated at $4,000 to $6,000, Public Works and Utilities Director James Burke said.
Authorities were alerted to the crash by a bank alarm that sounded at 2:19 a.m. Thursday, according to a police report.
During his initial investigation of the crash, Port Angeles Police Officer Kelly Perry saw a man fleeing on foot after the man saw Perry, according to a news release.
Perry lost sight of him before he was apprehended by Perry, Port Angeles Police Officer Eric Walker and Clallam County Sheriff’s Deputy Torri Middlekauff, according to the news release and police report.
When Gonzales was arrested, his speech was slurred, his breath smelled of alcohol and he was missing a shoe, which he did not notice until Middlekauff told him about it, according to Walker’s report.
When he was arrested, Gonzales said someone gave him a ride to where he was apprehended, said he had walked there, said he was “back there going for a run because he was into fitness,” and denied ever driving his vehicle, according to Walker’s report.
A witness said he saw Gonzalez being escorted out of a downtown bar and, moments later, he saw the damage to the bank and Gonzales getting out of the vehicle.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@ peninsuladailynews.com.
First Federal at First and Oak streets in downtown Port Angeles was damaged early Thursday morning when a vehicle hit the building. (Valery Larson)
