Suspected drunk driver doesn’t stop for Richland police, heads home

A Richland man with a history of drunk driving arrests faces new charges after his car allegedly was weaving on George Washington Way and wouldn’t stop for police until he got home.

Brian Wayne Romeike, 54, told authorities during a late 2011 arrest that he didn’t stop because he has no confidence in police.

In that case, Romeike was sentenced to just over a year in prison for crashing into a car and injuring the driver in south Richland, then continuing on to his job in Hermiston with officers from three agencies in pursuit.

Now, Romeike has an April 20 trial date in Benton County Superior Court for a Feb. 20 incident.

He has pleaded innocent to felony DUI, along with misdemeanor charges of ignition interlock violation, driving with a suspended or revoked license and refusing to stop or give information to an officer.

According to court documents, Richland Officer Doug Doss was on George Washington Way when he noticed a car in front of him weaving within the northbound lane and crossing over the solid yellow line. The car was registered to Romeike, whose license was suspended, and Romeike was driving based on a picture in a police database.

Doss turned on the patrol car’s overhead lights at George Washington and Davison Avenue, but Romeike didn’t stop until he got to his home on Luther Place.

Doss said Romeike was “slow to follow commands to keep his hands up,” appeared to be unsteady on his feet, swayed slightly back and forth and stumbled when handcuffed, court documents said.

Romeike was arrested for driving with the suspended license, and refused any sobriety tests after Doss saw that his eyes were red and watery and smelled “intoxicants on his breath,” documents said.

Samples of his blood have been sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for testing.

Deputy Prosecutor Megan Killgore wrote that Romeike’s criminal record includes convictions for negligent driving in 1998, DUI in 2001 and 2005 and vehicular assault while under the influence and hit-and-run in 2011.

In the most recent case, Romeike had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent at 4:30 a.m. Nov. 2, 2011, when his Hummer H2 hit the passenger side of a car at Leslie Road and Gage Boulevard.

The other driver, Blandina Dutra, was ultimately taken to a Seattle hospital for a cut to her liver.

Benton County sheriff’s deputies found Romeike heading south on Interstate 82 and turned on their lights and sirens, but the Hummer didn’t stop. Hermiston and Umatilla police joined the pursuit once it crossed into Oregon.

The Hummer wasn’t speeding and even stopped for a red light. The pursuit ended when the left rear tire was flattened by a spike strip. He told authorities he didn’t intend to stop until he got to work in Hermiston.

Romeike is in the Benton County jail on $30,000 bail.

Judge Cameron Mitchell said if Romeike is released on bond, he is not to consume or possess alcohol and not to drive while the case is pending.

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Suspected drunk driver doesn’t stop for Richland police, heads home."