Tacoma councilman avoids DUI charge in plea deal

Published 3:51 pm Thursday, February 28, 2013

TACOMA — Tacoma City Councilman Ryan Mello, who was accused of drunken driving in a Jan. 20 arrest, will avoid a criminal record if he follows the conditions of a plea deal with Kitsap County prosecutors.

The deal approved Friday calls for Mello to pay $900 in fees, attend a DUI victim’s panel and seek chemical dependency treatment.

Mello told The News Tribune on Tuesday that he made a mistake and is sorry. He said he’s taking responsibility and doing everything the prosecutor asked.

Deputy Prosecutor Claire Bradley said the deal is fairly standard for first-time offenders whose blood-alcohol level was close to the legal limit.