A man who has already been charged with driving under the influence twice since November is now accused of vehicular assault after a Memorial Day collision in Morton.
He is being held in the Lewis County Jail on $250,000 bail.
According to the Washington State Patrol, Brian B. Coleman, 65, of Randle, had a half-gallon of Monarch vodka on the front passenger seat of his 2005 Ford F-350 truck when he failed to yield at 3 p.m. at the intersection of state Route 7 and U.S. Highway 12 in Morton.
Coleman’s blood alcohol level was later determined to be 0.154, nearly twice the legal limit to drive.
Coleman struck a 2007 Ford F-150 towing a trailer. One of the second truck’s two passengers was injured and transported to Morton General Hospital with a broken hand and neck injuries. Coleman was also injured and transported to Morton General.
He was in a wheelchair at his first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.
“The state is concerned that at the next juncture Mr. Coleman is going to kill somebody in his car,” said Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh.
Coleman has one prior conviction for DUI from April 2015. He has not yet been sentenced for that case. He was also charged with DUI in November 2014. His driver’ s license was suspended at the time of the crash.
