A Kelso man accused of crossing three lanes of traffic on Interstate 5 before going off the freeway near milepost 64, crashing through a fence and into a retention pond in January 2021 is facing a felony driving under the influence charge after a blood test revealed he had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the crash.
A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper who responded to the Jan. 28, 2021, crash arrested the driver, Scott R. Jones, 38, after Jones exhibited signs of impairment and failed sobriety tests, according to court documents.
Law enforcement obtained a warrant for Jones’s blood and sent the blood sample to WSP’s crime lab for testing.
Test results were completed on Feb. 22 and showed Jones’ blood sample contained .66 mg/L of methamphetamine, according to court documents.
Unlike with alcohol, there is no established legal limit for driving with methamphetamine in the bloodstream.
Because Jones had three prior driving-related convictions within the past 10 years — one first-degree negligent driving conviction from 2011, a DUI conviction from 2014 and another DUI conviction from 2017 — the new DUI charge was elevated to a felony.
Charges against Jones were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on March 9.
In addition to the felony DUI charge, Jones is also facing one count of driving without an interlock device and second-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license.
Jones was summoned to a March 30 preliminary hearing, which he was present for.
“This is only a summons case because the state had to wait for the blood draw results. That took over a year,” said Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson at Jones’s hearing on Wednesday.
Jackson asked Judge James Lawler to require Jones to pay bail, citing concerns about the accusations against Jones in this case, and the fact that there’s another case against Jones in Thurston County where Jones is accused of driving without an interlock device.
Defense Attorney Rachael Tiller, however, asked Lawler to allow Jones to remain out of custody due to the age of the case and the fact that Jones willingly showed up at his March 30 hearing.
She added that Jones is living in Chehalis and would be able to walk to the courthouse for future hearings if needed.
Lawler opted to set Jones’ bail at $20,000 unsecured, meaning he can remain out of custody without paying any bail, but he will have to pay the full bail amount if he misses a mandatory hearing or violates his conditions of release.
In addition to the standard conditions of release, which include provisions prohibiting the defendant from possessing and consuming drugs or alcohol, Lawler added provisions to Jones’s conditions of release prohibiting Jones from driving without an interlock device or a valid driver’s license.
Jones’ next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for April 7.
