Teen with 2 prior DUI arrests held in drunk driving death in Pasco
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- 18-year-old with two recent drunk-driving arrests charged with vehicular homicide.
- Judge set $1M bail, citing flight risk and concern over his conduct.
- Investigators found alcohol containers, ~80 mph speed, and a driver killed.
Friday night’s fatal crash in Pasco is believed to be the third time in less than two months that an Othello teen was driving drunk.
Pedro Andres Ruiz, 18, made his first appearance in Franklin County Superior Court on Monday afternoon by video from the jail.
He’s being held on suspicion on vehicular homicide and trying to elude police.
Maria C. Mendoza, 57, of Grandview, died Friday night when Ruiz lost control of his pickup truck, crashed through a cable barrier on Interstate 1-182 and into her car in the oncoming lanes.
Emergency responders found Ruiz surrounded by alcohol containers after his truck landed in eastbound traffic, court documents said.
Deputy Prosecutor Erek Puccio argued Monday for Ruiz’s bail to be set at $1 million. He said the teen was allegedly caught driving drunk in Franklin County on Dec. 23 with a blood alcohol level of 0.16 percent and then arrested again about a week later in Othello.
The Franklin County charge is still pending, but he was sentenced in the Othello case on Thursday, the day before the fatal crash.
As part of the sentence, he wasn’t supposed to drink alcohol or drive without a license or insurance.
“He did everything opposite of what the judge ordered him to do,” Puccio said. “He’s a flight risk. He’s shown that he’ll elude police and also elude this court if given the chance. ... He will continue to drink even if the court tells him not to.”
Defense Attorney Michael Nguyen reserved making an argument about bail.
Judge Bronson Brown set bail at $1 million, saying he is very concerned about the Ruiz’s conduct. He also ordered Ruiz to submit to random breathalyzer tests and use an ignition interlock device if he is able to post bail.
Ruiz is expected to enter a plea to the charges on Thursday.
Drunk driving suspect
Washington State Patrol investigators say a witness reported that a man was driving erratically in a Ford F-150 on Court Street about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6.
The witness followed him to the Circle K on the 3100 block of Court Street and saw the driver get out of the truck and urinate on a fuel pump, court documents said.
The witness called police and continued to follow the truck until police arrived.
Ruiz, whose license had been suspended, was the registered owner of the truck, court documents said.
A Pasco police officer caught up with the pickup on Court Street and signaled for the driver to stop. The driver turned onto Highway 395 and sped up as it headed north before exiting at Argent Road where it almost hit another vehicle, court documents said.
The officer stopped the chase when the driver ran a red light near the Tri-Cities Airport.
Pasco police continued to search the area for the truck before finding it near South Fourth Avenue as it turned onto the westbound Interstate 182 on-ramp.
Pasco police signaled for Ruiz to stop, but he allegedly continued.
The pickup reached 80 mph as it approached the 20th Avenue, court documents said. Ruiz allegedly lost control of the truck when it was about 200 feet past the on-ramp for 20th Avenue. It crashed through the median and went over the cable railing into eastbound traffic.
The pickup slammed into Mendoza’s Buick sedan. Both were alone in the vehicles.
Ruiz was trapped inside the truck and needed to be cut free by firefighters. Investigators said there were several alcohol containers inside and on the ground outside the pickup.
Ruiz’s breath smelled like alcohol and his eyes were watery and bloodshot, said court documents.
This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 5:54 PM.