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Washington Democrat House Candidate Arrested for DUI After Five-Car Crash
ReWashington Democrat House Candidate Arrested for DUI After Five-Car Crash
Krista Perez, a Democrat running for a Washington state House seat, was arrested for DUI after allegedly causing a chain-reaction crash that damaged five vehicles. Police video shows her declining sobriety tests and later sobbing and praying in a patrol car.
Krista Perez, a Democratic candidate for a Washington state House seat, was arrested for driving under the influence after her pickup truck allegedly struck a parked car and set off a chain-reaction crash that damaged five vehicles in Tacoma earlier this month, according to police records and body camera footage obtained by a local news outlet.
Perez, who finished first in last month's primary for the 29th Legislative District, Position 1, is set to face incumbent state Rep. Melanie Morgan, also a Democrat, in November. The top two candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
Tacoma Police said Perez was driving a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado when it struck a parked car on South G Street shortly after midnight on August 11. The impact triggered a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles in total, according to an account of the incident. Prosecutors have charged her with DUI, including a refusal enhancement related to the collision and a later encounter with police.
Body camera footage shows officers questioning Perez at the scene, where she told an officer she did not understand what was happening and claimed she was not involved in an accident. When asked directly whether she had been in a crash, she said she had not. She also told the officer she had never been in an accident before and said she had switched insurance providers just weeks earlier, though she was able to provide the name of her insurance company.
Perez told the officer she had been driving from a friend's business on Tacoma Avenue South when the collision occurred. Asked whether she had consumed any alcohol, she replied that she had just had some wine while at the business. She said she had one glass, but when the officer asked how large the glass was, she suggested he contact the business.
The officer then asked Perez to rate her sobriety on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being completely sober. She initially said she wanted to go home, but when asked again, she rated herself a four. The officer then asked her to perform standardized field sobriety tests, stating multiple times that the tests were voluntary. Perez declined, repeatedly saying she wanted to go home first and that she was confused. She asked whether she was allowed to decline, and the officer confirmed she could say yes or no. After she declined, she was told she was under arrest for DUI and instructed to put her hands behind her back.
Under Washington state law, roadside sobriety tests are not required, and declining them is separate from the refusal enhancement prosecutors are pursuing. According to an arrest report, that enhancement stems from what happened later at Tacoma Police headquarters, where police said Perez did not provide a usable breath sample after three attempts before the machine timed out.
Inside the patrol car, footage shows Perez sobbing and praying for several minutes. She can be heard asking God for help, saying, «Help me, God. Help me. Help me. Holy Spirit, help me, God.»
State law does not prohibit someone with a DUI charge from serving in the legislature. Other Democratic lawmakers have retained their seats after alcohol-related incidents. House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon apologized earlier this year after acknowledging he drank alcohol before a House Appropriations Committee hearing. In a statement at the time, he said he made a poor choice by drinking before the day's work was finished, expressed disappointment in himself, took responsibility, and committed to completing the session without alcohol.
Perez's arrest adds a new dimension to an already competitive primary race in the 29th Legislative District, where two Democrats will face off in November. The charge against her remains pending, and no trial date has been set. The refusal enhancement could carry additional penalties if she is convicted, though the case is still in its early stages.
Neither Perez nor her campaign has issued a public statement in response to the charges or the release of the video. Morgan's office did not immediately comment on the arrest. The incident has drawn attention in local political circles as voters prepare for the general election.
