Kennewick man arrested for DUI wreck that seriously injured elderly woman
A Kennewick man is accused of being highly intoxicated with a needle for meth on him when he got in a wreck that seriously hurt an 88-year-old woman.
Benton County Deputy Prosecutor Kristin McRoberts said that Dale A. Gandenberger, 55, doesn’t even have a driver’s license.
“He has a lengthy history of driving when he shouldn’t even be on the road,” she said. “He was highly intoxicated ... and his perception was that he was fine to drive.”
Gandenberger was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Benton County jail around 11 p.m. He made his first appearance in Benton County Superior Court on Thursday on suspicion of vehicular assault and driving without a license.
Court records show Gandenberger has been ticketed at least four times for driving with no license since 2003. His oldest ticket in online Benton County court records shows even that was at least his third suspended license charge.
McRoberts said Gandenberger had a methamphetamine needle on him, and in her experience intravenous drug use is not common among casual drug users. He also allegedly admitted to regular marijuana use.
She also said the victim was injured, with multiple broken ribs, to the point she may need to be transferred to another hospital for care.
A court appointed defense attorney argued that Gandenberger’s disabilities and ties to the community show he would continue to appear in court if released on bail.
Judge Jackie Shea-Brown disagreed, saying that his ties to the community and mental health treatment “didn’t prevent what just happened from happening.”
She set bail at $25,000 and Gandenberger will be required to wear an ankle monitor for alcohol use, if released. He also has been ordered not to use any drugs, legal or not, and to have an alcohol monitor installed in any vehicle he uses if he obtains a valid driver’s license.
Serious DUI wreck
Kennewick police responded to a wreck at the intersection of West Fourth Avenue and South Vancouver Street at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.
When officers arrived they found two vehicles with their front ends stuck together blocking the intersection, according to court documents.
Gandenberger, who had been driving a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan, was sitting on the curb near the Circle K, while the driver and a passenger of a 2009 Toyota Rav 4 were both still stuck in the vehicle, but appeared to be fine.
Gandenberger told officers that he hit the Toyota when it “ran a yellow light,” while he was traveling north, and they were travelling west, according to court documents. That would mean that Gandenberger had a red light.
He allegedly told officers he had been drinking, but said he did not believe he had drunk enough to impede his ability to drive.
Gandenberger agreed to do field sobriety tests, which he failed, according to court documents.
He then blew a 0.139 percent on a portable breathalyzer test, which is nearly twice legal limit of 0.08 blood alcohol content.
Officers said they could smell “the odor of intoxicants coming from his person,” according to court documents.
They found a used needle in his pockets, as well as several small round yellow pills. He admitted the needle was for injecting meth, but said he had last done it three days ago. He told officers the pills were Seroquel, which is an anti-psychotic medication used to treat a variety of mental illnesses and neurological disorders.
Gandenberger was taken to a local hospital to take a blood sample.
