Richland councilman pleads guilty following his drunk driving arrest

A Richland city councilman has admitted driving home from a friend’s barbecue with a blood-alcohol level just over the legal limit.

Bob Thompson, 64, pleaded guilty to reckless driving, which is a gross misdemeanor.

His attorney, Kevin Holt, pointed out that Thompson did not get any special treatment in the case that took 13 months to resolve.

It is common for many first-time offenders charged with driving under the influence, or DUI, to see their case reduced to reckless driving as the result of negotiations, said Holt.

Also, the case against Thompson — who’s a longtime Tri-Cities lawyer who served eights years as Richland’s mayor — was handled by both a deputy prosecutor and a judge from Yakima County since their counterparts in Benton County opted out, citing conflicts.

Thompson was given credit for time served in the Benton County jail and two years of probation, and ordered to attend a DUI victim’s impact panel and to follow the recommended treatment of an alcohol assessment, said Holt.

Thompson did not return calls about his guilty plea.

8 hours in jail

Thompson was the Richland mayor when he was arrested in Kennewick on June 29, 2019. He was released from the jail after eight hours, the mandatory minimum required to allow people to sober up before being released.

He was stopped by the Washington State Patrol at 11:58 p.m. when Trooper James Stairet noticed Thompson’s 2014 BMW doing 42 mph in a 30-mph zone, and drift out of its lane at least twice.

While Stairet saw Thompson speeding on Quinault Avenue near the Columbia Center mall, he did not stop Thompson until they were near the roundabout at Gage Boulevard and Center Parkway.

Thompson reported being surprised to hear he’d been driving over the speed limit and told the trooper he had three drinks while dining with a fellow lawyer.

He also told the Tri-City Herald at the time that he had a colonoscopy earlier that day and was dehydrated as a result of the preparation for the medical procedure.

Thompson claims he spent much of the time at his friend’s home just sleeping by a backyard fire, and drank another person’s large lemonade a short time before he left, not knowing it was spiked with alcohol.

Field sobriety tests

Trooper Stairet wrote in a court document that Thompson had watery and bloodshot eyes during the traffic stop.

He said Thompson became argumentative when asked to get out of the SUV.

When Thompson eventually agreed to step out, he used the car door to balance himself and suggested his girlfriend could take over the driving, Stairet wrote in the document. He refused to perform voluntary field sobriety tests or take a portable breath test at the scene.

Stairet said he was grabbing both of Thompson’s hands to place him under arrest when Thompson “forcefully withdrew both of his hands from my grasp.”

The trooper said he regained control of Thompson and got him in handcuffs.

Suppression motion denied

Thompson took a breath test at the Benton County jail, then had his blood drawn at a Tri-City hospital for independent testing.

In March, Judge Brian Sanderson of Yakima County District Court denied a defense motion that attempted to have all evidence and statements suppressed from the moment Thompson stopped his SUV and made initial contact with the trooper.

Thompson’s blood-alcohol level was 0.10 percent, said Holt. The legal limit to drive in Washington state is up to 0.08.

Thompson has been a criminal defense lawyer since 1982 and an elected member of the Richland City Council since 1994. After most recently serving as mayor for a four-year term, Thompson removed his name from consideration in January for another term. His current council term expires in December 2021.