Highly-intoxicated DUI suspect crashes into cop car after she tried buying more alcohol
A highly-intoxicated Richland woman was arrested Saturday on DUI charges after backing into and damaging a police cruiser.
Officers were called out around 4:20 p.m. to the Circle K at 1915 Columbia Center Blvd. after reports that a woman who was already drunk was trying to buy alcohol, according to a Facebook post by the Richland Police Department.
The clerk refused to sell her alcohol and employees called police. So, she left the store and got into her car.
As she was trying to drive away, she backed into a responding officer’s patrol car, causing some minor damage.
It’s unclear if she did it intentionally.
Police did not release her name but jail records show Molly Lein, 31, was arrested on charges of DUI, operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock and driving with a suspended license.
Police said on Facebook that a breathalyzer test showed her blood alcohol level was 0.340% — about four times over Washington’s 0.08 legal limit.
Bail is set at $12,000.
She has faced previous charges related to DUI and has six previous charges of driving with a suspended license from 2018 to 2023 in Washington state, according to online court records.
