PORT ANGELES — A Sequim man accused of a short but destructive rampage Saturday night will have his next appearance in court at 1 p.m. today in Clallam County Superior Court.
Darryl John Svec, 34, continued to be held in custody Tuesday on $5,000 bail after a Monday hearing. He will be required to wear an alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet.
Svec was booked for investigation of first-degree malicious mischief, second-degree malicious mischief, second-degree robbery, two counts of hit-and-run unattended, DUI-alcohol, interference with reporting of domestic violence, theft of a motor vehicle, third-degree assault (police officer) and resisting arrest.
According to Sequim police, he stole a car, knocked an electrical power pole off its base, hit an array of mailboxes and trash cans — scattering trash throughout the roadway — and hit a parked Toyota Prius, slamming it into the building, destroying the car and damaging the building. All that was before he allegedly assaulted a police officer and resisted arrest, among other accusations.
The pursuit began at about 12:30 a.m. and he was arrested at 1:16 a.m.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Roberson recommended $50,000 bail, a no-contact order with the victim and that he wear an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.
“I have strong public safety concerns. He had a .182 BAC and was driving around when he shouldn’t have been,” Roberson said.
“He struck a vehicle and a trash can, and that created sparks. He could have hit a person and then he would be here on vehicular or vehicular homicide,” he continued.
“There’s nothing more dangerous than someone driving after they have been drinking, even at 2:30 a.m.,” Roberson said.
Public defender Harry Gasnick said everything was directly connected to alcohol, so the state’s only concern should be the alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet.
Judge Simon Barnhart said, “The litany of allegations is remarkable. It was a series of events that could have had significant implications for public safety. The court has to take this very seriously when considering the potential harm. It’s lucky it ended the way it did.”
Svec doesn’t have a long or concerning criminal history and has ties to the community, so he is not a flight risk, Barnhart said.
Although he was resisting arrest, that could be seen within the light of an alcohol-induced set of circumstances, Barnhart said. Some amount of bail was appropriate, but more important was the alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet to ensure (Svec) was being monitored, he said.
“So $5,000 bail adequately addresses the concerns,” Barnhart said.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at Brian.Gawley@ sound publishing.com
