Update | Tri-Cities judge arrested after suspected DUI crash. This isn’t the first time
A Tri-Cities judge was arrested Monday night on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing his car, and it’s not the first time.
Judge Terry M. Tanner Jr. made an initial court appearance on Tuesday on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
He appeared before Benton Franklin Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Shea Brown, according to the Benton County District Court administrator.
Jan. 2 arrest
The crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 on the 2600 block of Kingsgate Way, just past the intersection of Highway 240 and Kingsgate near the Shell Station, according to court documents filed in Benton County District Court.
Dispatchers told the responding Richland police officer that the 2014 Cadillac sedan had high-centered on a concrete block.
When the officer arrived, paramedics advised them that the suspected driver, identified as Tanner, smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated, said the documents.
They also said he was diabetic and his blood sugar was low, but not to the point where it would have caused the wreck.
A witness told the officer that he saw Tanner in the driver’s seat while the car was stuck on the block, with the wheels spinning and the car was in drive. The witness said he helped Tanner out of the car and had him sit down nearby.
When Officer Tyler Denslow spoke with Tanner, the judge initially denied he was driving, said the vehicle did not belong to him and that he did not know whose car it was, according to the documents.
When the the vehicle’s plate registration was checked, it returned as belonging to Tanner. The officer said Tanner’s speech was slurred, his eyes were watery and he was swaying as he sat, said the documents.
Tanner declined taking a field sobriety test or breathalyzer at the scene and was taken to the Benton County jail in Kennewick where a breathalyzer test was administered.
The documents show Tanner blew well over the legal limit of .08% blood alcohol, as measured by a breathalyzer that measured in two ways — electro-chemical and infrared.
In the first test, he blew a .220% as measured by infrared and .225% as measured by electro-chemical at 7:36 p.m. For the second test at 7:41 p.m., he registered a .232% infrared and a .237% electro-chemical.
Benton County sheriff’s officials confirmed he was booked into the jail at 8:14 p.m. Monday and was released at 10:46 a.m. Tuesday after posting a $5,000 bond.
Judge Shea Brown ordered him not to drive until he obtains and wears an alcohol monitoring bracelet and has an ignition interlock device installed in his car, according to the court documents.
Tanner’s next hearing is set for Jan. 25.
Tanner, who’s been a judge of 13 years, could not be reached by the Herald about the crash and his arrest and it’s unclear if he’s returned to work.
2018 arrest
Previously, Tanner was reprimanded by the Washington state Commission on Judicial Conduct after he was arrested in 2018 for DUI involving a wreck, according to Herald reports at the time.
At that time in March 2018, Tanner initially claimed he had been checking his mail when he was found hiding behind a cluster of mailboxes.
Tanner later told a sheriff’s deputy he had no memory of crashing his sedan on his way home from a Kennewick bar.
In April 2018, he pleaded guilty to one gross misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.
That case was moved to Yakima County District Court to prevent any conflict within Tanner’s own court or with the prosecutors who regularly come before him.
It’s unclear whether he is still on probation from that case. At the time he was sentenced to 364 days in county jail with 363 days suspended. The one day was converted to 15 days on electronic home monitoring.
He also was put on supervision for five years, with the option to petition to have that terminated after two years if he completed the probation requirements and stays out of trouble in that time.
His driver’s license also was suspended for one year.
Tanner is a former Richland city councilman and was appointed to the District Court in 2009. He was last reelected in 2022 when he ran unopposed.
This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 3:06 PM.
