Richard Lee Peace, 52, struck a pedestrian on state Route 507 just north of 133rd Avenue on April 25, according to court papers. Donald R. Moore, 58, was walking on the right shoulder near Binghampton Street about 9 p.m. when Peace’s pickup crossed over the fog line and hit him from behind, Trooper Guy Gill said.
Moore died at the scene. His sister Cathy King, who lives in Florida, said Moore was walking home from church. King said her brother raised wolf hybrids and loved living in Washington.
Peace faces 15 to 20 months in jail, according to his standard sentencing range.
An investigating Washington State Patrol trooper reported that Peace’s breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit for drunken driving, court papers state. However, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Toynbee said Wednesday that the trooper wrote the results of the preliminary breath test incorrectly, and that Peace actually registered 0.016 percent — well below the drunken-driving threshold of 0.08 percent.
“It was a mistake,” Gill said. “It’s unfortunate, but the investigation was never jeopardized at all.”
A witness said Peace was driving recklessly at the time of the crash, Gill said. Peace told the investigating trooper that he had taken two medications, Celexa and Celebrex, about 3 p.m. that day and had had two beers earlier, court papers state. Celexa is an antidepressant, and Celebrex is a prescription pain medication.
Peace’s vehicular-homicide charge was amended to reflect that he was charged with vehicular homicide while driving recklessly, not a vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Peace entered his guilty plea Jan. 16 to vehicular homicide while driving with “disregard for the safety of others” resulting in the death of another.
Jeremy Pawloski: 360-754-5465
jpawloski@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/thisjustin
@JeremyPawloski
