DUI suspect arrested 3 separate times in a week free again in Pierce County
Pierce County woman arrested three times for alleged DUI in one week freed on bail
A 46-year-old Pierce County woman accused of three DUI incidents involving inhalants in November is free on bail despite repeated arrests, frustrating deputies who call it a loophole in state law.
TACOMA, Wash. - A woman in Pierce County who was arrested for three separate cases of DUIs over the course of roughly a week pleaded not guilty, and was released from custody on $100,000 bail.
According to court documents, the suspect, 46-year-old Kylene Ann Robertson, admitted to "suffering from an addiction to inhalants."
On Nov. 12, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Robertson, they said, for huffing nitrous oxide in her car while it was running in a parking lot.
Next, on Nov. 15, Fircrest Police arrested Robertson for crashing into a power box and taking out a power pole. Her car was totaled, and nitrous oxide cans could be seen inside the vehicle, according to investigators.
Five days later, on Nov. 20, Pierce County deputies arrested Robertson again, after they found her slumped over in her car with nitrous oxide cans throughout the vehicle, investigators said.
Bail was set at $100,000 in Robertson’s final arrest. However, officials with the prosecuting attorney’s office told FOX 13 Seattle she was bailed out of custody.
What they're saying:
"This is clearly a suspect that has resources and financial means that this means nothing to them," said Deputy Carly Cappetto with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
In Washington state, a DUI is defined as a misdemeanor. The charge only gets boosted to the felony level if someone is hurt, or the suspect already has four previous DUI convictions.
The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor is 364 days in jail, but investigators tell FOX 13 Seattle that long wait times for toxicology reports mean a suspected DUI driver could get back on the road in just a few hours before facing accountability.
"We’re out here protecting our community. We are making these arrests. We are booking them into jail. We don’t have control over who bails out or how much time they spend in there. We don't get to have a say on that. The laws are the laws, and that's how it’s followed. We definitely get frustrated on our end," said Cappetto.
FOX 13 Seattle spoke to Robertson. However, she refused to comment on the story before speaking with her attorney.
What's next:
She is expected back in court on Dec. 19.
Investigators tell FOX 13 Seattle Robertson was also involved in a crash on Nov. 23. Tacoma Police responded to the crash, but no criminal chargers were filed during that case.
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