PORT ANGELES — A 48-year-old Forks man is being held in the Clallam County jail on $175,000 bail after he was arrested Christmas Eve for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol for the second time in as many weeks.
William Allen Smith has had four prior DUI convictions in the past 10 years, according to court records.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Christopher Melly set Smith’s bail Monday.
Formal charges for Smith’s second alleged DUI are scheduled to be filed at 1 p.m. today in Superior Court.
The State Patrol said Smith was driving erratically and failed to stop for a trooper as he traveled westbound on U.S. Highway 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim at about 9:40 a.m. Thursday.
Nearly caused crash
Trooper E.J. Ellefson wrote in court papers that Smith nearly caused a crash while leaving an apartment building in Sequim, according to a witness.
Ellefson said he approached the Ford F-150 truck that Smith was driving while Smith was stopped at a red light near the Port Angeles Walmart.
“I rapidly exited my patrol car and attempted to open the door of the suspect vehicle,” Ellefson wrote.
“The driver refused to unlock the door.”
Ellefson said he tried to break the driver’s side window to unlock the door himself.
“The driver eventually unlocked the door and I was able to forcibly take him into custody with resistance,” Ellefson said.
After his arrest, Smith fell asleep multiple times at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles and while speaking with a defense attorney on the telephone, Ellefson said.
Blood sample
A blood sample taken three hours after Smith’s arrest showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.078 percent, which is below the state’s legal driving limit of 0.08 percent.
A medic who helped transport Smith to OMC said Smith may have taken an anti-anxiety drug, Ellefson said.
Hospital staff were “still trying to determine why he was so sleepy and lethargic,” Ellefson wrote in the arrest report.
Smith had posted a $35,000 bail bond Wednesday for an another alleged DUI that occurred Dec. 8.
He was charged Dec. 9 with single counts of felony driving under the influence with four or more prior offenses within 10 years, first-degree driving with a suspended license and operating a motor vehicle without a functioning ignition interlock device.
A McDonald’s employee told Port Angeles police that Smith smelled of alcohol, had a beer in his cup holder and had glazed and bloodshot eyes at the restaurant’s drive-through at about 7:51 p.m., court papers said.
Officer Michael Johnson said he found Smith behind the wheel of a Dodge Grand Caravan with the engine running at the fast-food restaurant in East Port Angeles.
“Upon contact, I could see that Smith had droopy, bloodshot watery eyes and a flushed face,” Johnson wrote in his arrest report.
“I could smell the odor of intoxicants coming from within the vehicle. Smith initially attempted to drive away and traveled about six feet before complying with my order to stop.”
Smith, who told Johnson that he had consumed two beers, failed a field sobriety test and refused to submit to a breath test.
Johnson served a search warrant at Olympic Medical Center, but Smith’s blood-alcohol level was not provided with the initial arrest report.
Increased bail
Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jesse Espinoza filed Monday a motion to increase Smith’s bail.
Melly granted the motion, raising the bail to $100,000 for the alleged DUI that occurred Dec. 8 and $75,000 for the alleged DUI on Dec. 24.
Felony DUI with four or more prior offenses within 10 years is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
