Darrin Odell, on Feb. 20, 2019, appears to his sentencing hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
A Snoqualmie man who pleaded guilty to firing a gun at a vehicle while driving down Interstate 5 in southern Lewis County last year was sentenced to nine months, with the possibility of serving it on work release.
Darrin R. Odell, 45, in an often emotional address to Judge James Lawler Wednesday afternoon, said he was taking full responsibility for the incident. He said he wished the victim had been present in the courtroom that day so he could express how sorry he felt.
Lawler granted Odell the ability to apply for the work release program in a King County jurisdiction closer to home. However, Lawler said, if he doesn’t meet the requirements for work release, he’ll likely be sent back to Lewis County to serve his time.
Senior Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead said the sentence was an agreement between he and Odell’s legal counsel Paul Strophy. Odell had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree assault — a step down from the first-degree assault charge he originally faced — and driving under the influence.
Strophy, in an address to the judge, said Odell had struggled with alcohol dependency, and the incident came during an unfortunate period of relapse.
He called the March 29, 2018, incident a “perfect storm” of circumstances. He maintained that Odell thought the other motorist had brandished a gun of his own, causing Odell to act in what he thought was self-defense. Investigation proved that that the victim did not have a gun.
Odell took a polygraph test, Strophy said, and the results backed up the fact that Odell believed the other driver had a gun, and that Odell was doing his best to avoid the other driver during what authorities called a road-rage situation.
However, Strophy said, he and Odell both acknowledge that brandishing a gun and firing it on the interstate was the wrong decision. Displaying the gun in a threatening manner alone would be enough for a second-degree assault charge, he said.
Police found a bullet lodged inside the victim’s vehicle, inside a camera.
Halstead said he had been in contact with the victim, who was not present at the hearing, and has a job that requires a lot of time on the road. The victim said he doesn’t believe that Odell was intending to shoot him, but rather take out his tire. However, Halstead said, if the bullet had hit the tire while the vehicle was travelling down I-5, there’s no telling the damage that could have been dealt.
“This was extremely dangerous activity,” said Halstead.
Lawler, in accordance with the plea deal struck by both attorneys, also sentenced Odell to 12 months on community custody, to pay fines and fees, to avoid contact with the victim for 10 years and other standard conditions — including to avoid alcohol.
The shooting happened near milepost 60 in the Toledo area. The victim, a Camas man, reported he was driving southbound in the fast lane. He passed Odell’s vehicle at some point, and Odell then passed him in return. This prompted what authorities called a road rage situation, ending with the victim seeing Odell with a gun and feeling something hit the side of his vehicle.
Odell sped off but was arrested by a Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office deputy near the intersection of Old Pacific Highway and Burma Road. Deputies found a revolver on him, with a single expended shell casing in the vehicle.
