Olympia man to serve 22 months in hit-and-run case

A 27-year-old Olympia man was sentenced to 22 months in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to DUI and hit-and-run charges. He was arrested in February after he crashed a car into another vehicle in a supermarket parking lot.

David J. Lee appeared before Thurston County Superior County Superior Court Judge Erik Price and pleaded guilty to one count of injury hit and run, and one count of driving under the influence. Following the arrest, Lee faced an additional charge of second-degree taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission, but that charge was dropped when he pleaded guilty to the other charges.

Court documents give this account of the events leading to his arrest:

A Thurston County deputy responded to reports of a car crash at WinCo Foods, 7540 Martin Way E. The victim said she had been turning into the parking lot when she saw a silver flash, and her car was struck.

She said her car spun 180 degrees, and the silver car sped off.

Witnesses in the parking lot couldn’t provide a license plate number, but several people called to report a car driving recklessly in the area and provided a plate number.

That car was found parked in a nearby driveway, with the driver sitting inside. The car wasn’t running, but the keys were in the ignition, and music was playing. The back bumper of the car had been removed and was sitting on the back seat of the car. The front bumper also was damaged.

The driver, identified as Lee, was arrested. He denied driving the car and told deputies that another man, also named David Lee and wearing the same clothes as he had on, had been driving.

Lee was slurring his words, and a deputy asked him how much alcohol he had consumed. Lee said that he had had 15 fifths of alcohol.

Two breathalyzer tests were administered at the jail. One result showed Lee had a blood alcohol content of .155, and the other showed a blood alcohol content of .153, according to court documents. Both results are nearly twice the legal limit for driving.

Lakewood police contacted the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and said that Lee’s sister had reported earlier that day that Lee had taken her car without permission, according to court documents.

A Thurston County judge set bail at $8,000 following Lee’s arrest, and he remained in custody in the Thurston County Jail until his sentencing hearing.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Olympia man to serve 22 months in hit-and-run case."