A 49-year-old Pasco man was recently charged with DUI after a collision involving a pickup and a parked court. The driver of the truck, which had been towing a boat, failed to return to the scene after the incident took place.

When an officer pulled the man over, he noticed signs of intoxication and administered field sobriety tests, which the driver apparently failed. A preliminary breath tests showed that the driver's blood alcohol level was at .183 percent, and the device at the Franklin County jail yielded a blood alcohol level of .142 and .144.

The DUI charge is reportedly the fifth in the man's history. He has been convicted of DUI on four previous occasions, making the most recent charge his fifth within a 10 year period.

A first time DUI offender in Washington faces a number of consequences, including mandatory jail time of at least 24 hours, mandatory loss of driver's license for 90 days, mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device, and mandatory alcohol evaluation and treatment. Consequences can be harsher yet if the driver's blood alcohol content is excessive.

As our readers know, repeated DUI offenses can lead to progressively harsher charges. In Washington, a repeat offender-one who has more than four DUI-related offenses within a 10 year period-can be charged with a felony offense.

Those who face the possibility of becoming a repeat offender need to get help before they get to that point. Those who are already there do well to contact an attorney who will help build a solid defense and minimize the consequences of another conviction, should it be unavoidable.

Source: Tri-City Herald, "Pasco man accused of fifth DUI in 10 years," Kristin M. Kraemer, June 19, 2012