Former Yelm High School principal pleads guilty to reckless driving

Former Yelm High School Principal Ryan Akiyama, who was arrested last year on suspicion of DUI and possessing a dangerous weapon, has pleaded guilty to reckless driving, The Nisqually Valley News reports.

Akiyama made his plea in Thurston County District Court in November.

Akiyama was ordered to pay a fine and placed on probation. He will not serve jail time as long as he meets the terms of his probation, which include breath and urine testing, a substance abuse evaluation, alcohol information school and a victims panel, the newspaper reports.

Akiyama was demoted from principal to teacher in Yelm Community Schools.

The Nisqually Valley News reported the following last year:

Just after midnight April 28, a Washington State Patrol trooper pulled Akiyama over in downtown Olympia after he passed the trooper without his headlights on. He also was driving 10 miles per hour over the 25 mph speed limit, the trooper reported.

After he got out of the car, he allegedly told the trooper he’d had 3-4 drinks since 6 p.m. The trooper reported Akiyama nearly fell down more than once during a field sobriety test, and the trooper found brass knuckles in one of Akiyama’s pockets.

Akiyama was taken to the Olympia Police Department for blood alcohol tests, which produced results of 0.123, 0.124, 0.125 and 0.128, according to the newspaper. The legal limit for driving in Washington state is 0.08.

This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 7:00 AM.