KEPR anchor arrested for DUI, hit and run

A popular Tri-City TV anchor was arrested over the weekend for allegedly driving drunk and crashing into a parked truck in downtown Kennewick.

Police arrested Terry Chick, of KEPR Action News, following a traffic stop about 2:45 a.m. Sunday near the Columbia Park exit off Highway 240.

Chick, 61, was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit and run.

KEPR posted on its website and its Facebook page that Chick is currently off the air.

“We are shocked to hear this,” KEPR said. “We are working through our internal process, and we don’t discuss personnel matters outside of our company.”

A Kennewick officer followed a Mazda driven by Chick after a witness reported seeing the car crash into a truck and leave the scene of the collision, according to court documents.

The Mazda — which had a broken tail light — apparently was swerving on Highway 240.

“I immediately noticed the obvious signs of impairment,” the officer wrote. “(Chick’s) eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slow and slurred.”

Chick told police he was coming from the Branding Iron in downtown Kennewick and drank five beers throughout the night, court documents said. He first denied there was damage to his car, but when confronted with the broken taillight, he told police the damage was old.

The officer then put Chick through several roadside tests to determine if he was drunk.

Chick’s performance on the tests was consistent with someone who was drunk, the court documents said. He refused to take a breath test at the scene and told officers he would rather give a blood sample. Officers got a warrant and blood was taken at Trios Health.

Witnesses told police Chick had been drinking and dancing at the bar, and when he went to leave several people told him not to drive, court documents said. He then yelled a profanity at the group and got in his car.

“The witness then watched (as Chick) revved his engine and backed into a parked truck,” court documents said.

Chick admitted to drinking too much alcohol to drive and told police he did not remember hitting the truck, court documents said.

Chick — who was voted by Tri-City Herald readers as the most popular local news anchor in the newspaper’s People’s Choice Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015 — is out of custody.

Bail was set at $300 if Chick agreed to get an alcohol monitoring bracelet within 24 hours and an ignition interlock device within three days. Otherwise bail was set at $100,000 or $10,000 cash.

Chick was charged with drunken driving in 2011 after a traffic stop by the Washington State Patrol, according to Benton County court sources. He pleaded guilty in 2012 and was placed on five years probation.

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 7:48 PM with the headline "KEPR anchor arrested for DUI, hit and run."