DUI arrest won't halt mayoral campaign

Tumwater City Councilman Neil McClanahan said Wednesday that he will press ahead with his mayoral campaign despite his drunken driving arrest last week.

His blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving shortly after his arrest last week in Olympia, according to a police report.

McClanahan, 57, said he has battled alcoholism since he retired from the No. 2 position in the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office two years ago. He said he had been drinking again for several days leading up to his arrest after 10 months of sobriety. He said he has voluntarily entered treatment twice in the past two years.

McClanahan, who is serving in his second four-year term, said he was actively seeking treatment and vowed never to touch alcohol again.

“This is rock bottom,” said McClanahan, a former undersheriff. “After 34 years of being a cop and then being handcuffed and put in the back of squad car, taken down and processed for DUI, it doesn’t get much lower than that.”

His arrest came less than two weeks before filing week for candidates for local elected offices and ensures he will be dealing with the legal fallout from his arrest through at least part of the campaign season. No challengers have come forward.

Mayor Ralph Osgood, who is not seeking another term, was aware of McClanahan’s struggles with alcoholism and said it didn’t interfere with his ability to discuss issues, make decisions or attend meetings.

“I understand that alcoholism is a disease, and I was hoping that he had beat the disease, and unfortunately, he has not,” Osgood said. “In my conversation with him, I reiterated to him the most important thing he needs to do is focus on (himself) and get well.”

Shortly after 3 p.m. May 21, a driver noticed a black Toyota Tacoma pickup being driven erratically before its operator pulled into the parking lot of K-9 Campus in the 2400 block of Harrison Avenue Northwest, according to the police report. McClanahan said he had been drinking at home and thought he was sober enough to pick up his dog, Cy, from an animal day care program.

The driver saw McClanahan passed out in the pickup with the engine running and called police, the report said.

McClanahan told the responding officer that he had drunk a glass of white wine, according to the report, but said in an interview with The Olympian that he also had drunk whiskey.

McClanahan failed field sobriety tests and was arrested. He provided two valid breath samples during booking at the Olympia Municipal Jail, with blood-alcohol level readings of 0.263 and 0.256. The legal limit for driving in the state is 0.08. He was released on personal recognizance shortly thereafter.

McClanahan pleaded not guilty during a hearing in Olympia Municipal Court on Friday but said during an interview that he does not intend to contest the charge. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for early July. No trial date has been set.

Driving under the influence is a gross misdemeanor, with a maximum punishment of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. At a minimum, McClanahan could face 48 hours in custody or 30 days of home confinement with electronic monitoring, at least $1,121 in fines and assessments, a one-year revocation of his driver’s license and the installation of an interlock device on his vehicle once he is cleared to drive again, said Kalo Wilcox, a city prosecutor.

This is McClanahan’s first DUI offense. As a result, he is a candidate for deferred prosecution, which would allow for the dismissal of the charge if he is evaluated by a state-certified chemical dependency counselor and complies with a recommended treatment program for a minimum of five years, Wilcox said.

Christian Hill: 360-754-5427

chill@theolympian.com