Designated Driver With Grumpy Passenger Gets Arrested for DUI 

On September 1, 2024 at approximately 1:36 AM, Officer Nathan Padrta with the Pullman Police Department observed a 2005 Nissan Frontier being driven without fully functional brake lights in the northbound direction on NE Monroe Street. He activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, and the driver pulled over in front of Pullman Family Medicine at 915 NE Valley Road. Officer Padrta made contact with the driver, who was identified as 21-year-old Daisy. Daisy told the officer that she was coming from a bar and that she was their designated driver that night. Since her front seat passenger was interrupting them during the stop, Officer Padrta asked Daisy to exit so that he could talk to her somewhere outside of the vehicle. 
Daisy initially admitted to consuming 1 drink earlier that evening at Zeppoz. Officer Padrta asked her if he could check her eyes, and he noticed a lack of smooth pursuit. Based on his suspicion of impairment, Daisy was asked to perform voluntary field sobriety exercises. After some initial hesitation, Daisy agreed to submit to the field sobriety exercises. 
Officer Padrta started with the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test. During the HGN test, Officer Padrta observed the lack of smooth pursuit and distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation (4/6 indicators). The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Daisy did not touch heel-to-toe on each step, turned improperly, and took an incorrect number of steps. The final exercise was the One Leg Stand test, and Daisy failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while using her arms for balance.
After the field sobriety exercises were complete, Daisy was asked to submit to a PBT but she declined. Officer Padrta then conferred with Officer Humphrey, and they both agreed that she was impaired. Based on her ability to consuming alcohol earlier that evening and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Officer Padrta placed Daisy under arrest for driving under the influence. 
Officer Padrta transported Daisy to the Pullman Police Department for further processing. Once they were at police HQ, he read Daisy her Miranda rights as well as the Implied Consent Warning, and she agreed to submit breath samples for testing. After the breathalyzer was administered, her Alcotest results indicated a BAC of 0.063% (lowest IR result), which was below the legal limit of 0.08%. After Officer Padrta finished with the breathalyzer, she was placed in a holding cell.
Officer Shellabarger later photographed and fingerprinted Daisy. Once he was finished with processing her, Daisy was cited for Driving under the influence (RCW 46.61.502) and released pending her court appearance.

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