Port Angeles woman charged after allegedly hitting shed, parked car, house

PORT ANGELES — Bail of $25,000 has been set for a 52-year-old Port Angeles woman who was allegedly intoxicated when police said she struck a shed and a parked car at Serenity House of Clallam County before hitting a house on West 10th Street on Sunday evening.

After an officer found Tamara Christine Lee seated on the driver’s-side floor of the truck, hunched over, she was treated by a medic who said she smelled of intoxicants and then was taken to Olympic Medical Center, according to the Port Angeles Police Department case report.

At the hospital, Lee allegedly spat at hospital personnel before a spit hood was placed over her head, alternately yelled at them and fell asleep, and was physically held down with restraints.

Lee was charged with fourth-degree assault for spitting at a nurse, and with driving under the influence.

Bail was set at $25,000 Monday in Clallam County District Court.

A readiness hearing is set for March 27.

She also was being held for driving under the influence for a Nov. 1 incident for which authorities were awaiting the results of blood tests, according to District Court records.

Authorities received a report of a hit-and-run at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday to a parked car and a shed in the parking lot of Serenity House of Clallam County on West 18th Street, where Lee lives, according to the case report.

About five minutes later, 9-1-1 dispatchers received a call that a Ford F-150 truck that matched the description of the vehicle in the earlier collision had hit a house in the area of 10th and C streets, damaging the gutter downspout on the corner of the residence.

Witnesses said the vehicle was traveling north on C Street when it drifted toward the east side of the street, jumped the curb, struck a speed limit sign and became airborne before striking the house.

No one in the residence was injured, although a person inside the house said “she felt it when the house was struck,” according to the report.

An officer found Lee, “between the steering wheel and the seat, hunched over like she was seated on the floor,” and that she would not look up while hiding her face.

According to the case report, Lee’s nose was cut, and a medic said she smelled of intoxicants.

After being transported to Olympic Medical Center, Lee refused to open her eyes, would not hold still, kicked her legs and slurred her speech while speaking incoherently, according to the case report.

She told nurses she loved them, cried, said she was sorry, insisted she wanted to go home, fell asleep and began snoring, and had to be restrained to a back board to keep her from hurting herself, according to the report.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.

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