A 51-year-old man will spend just over a year in prison for crashing into a car and injuring the driver in south Richland, then continuing on to his job in Hermiston with officers from three agencies in pursuit.
Brian Wayne Romeike of Richland was under the influence of alcohol in the 4:30 a.m. Nov. 2 crash.
His blood-alcohol level was 0.08 percent, which is the legal limit to drive in Washington.
Lawyer Jim Egan said Thursday in Benton County Superior Court that his client knows what he did was wrong, adding that Romeike had been drinking the night before but not on the day of the incident.
Romeike apologized for his actions. He pleaded guilty to vehicular assault, a felony, and hit-and-run, a gross misdemeanor.
According to court documents, Romeike was in his Hummer H2 south on Leslie Road when he hit the passenger side of a Toyota Corolla driven by Blandina Dutra. She had been traveling west on Gage Boulevard and had the green light in the intersection.
Dutra, 59, didn't move and cried out for help. The Hummer pulled into a nearby parking lot and waited for a moment, but then drove off, documents said. Two witnesses came to Dutra's aid.
Dutra was ultimately taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for a cut to her liver.
Benton County sheriff's deputies found Romeike heading south on Interstate 82 and turned on their lights and siren, but the Hummer didn't stop. Hermiston and Umatilla police joined the pursuit once it crossed into Oregon.
The Hummer wasn't speeding and even stopped for a red light. The pursuit ended when the left rear tire was flattened by a spike strip.
Romeike, who has prior convictions for first-degree negligent driving and DUI, said he knew he was being followed but didn't stop because he has no confidence in police, court documents said. "It's a trust issue," he told officers.
He added that he didn't intend to stop until he got to work in Hermiston.
Romeike has charges in Umatilla County for felony DUI and eluding from this incident. The sentence on those will be served with this one-year, one-month term.
