Washington Supreme Court Finds 2019 DUI Arrest Lawful

Washington's Supreme Court finds a Wenatchee DUI arrest from 2019 lawful after the state's Court of Appeals reversed the conviction.

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Wenatchee Police Officer Natalie Brinjones arrested Frank Stearns in July 2019. Officer BrinJones responded to a 911 call about a man who stumbled towards his car before driving away from the Cascade Motorsports parking lot.

In the Supreme Court decision, the court determined the tip was reliable because the 911 caller gave an eyewitness report of DUI to the emergency line and the officer's observations of Stearns's driving corroborated the caller's report.

Officer BrinJones followed Stearns' vehicle and pulled him for a brake light despite no clear evidence of impairment. She found Stearns had a blood alcohol content over three times the legal limit and had a suspended license.

A Chelan County District Court judge found Stearns guilty of DUI, failure to obey law enforcement, and operating a vehicle without identification.

Superior Court Judge Robert Jourdan found Stearns not guilty after an appeal in May 2022, stating police lacked sufficient evidence to stop Stearns and reversed the conviction.

The Washington Court of Appeals affirmed Jourdan's decision in November 2023.