Fatal I-5 crash driver allegedly had 3X legal alcohol limit

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 24, 2018

EVERETT — A wrong-way driver on I-5 had about three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood July 1, when he crashed head-on into a car near Arlington, according to charging papers.

The collision killed Miriam Kay Robinson, of Albany, Oregon. She was 28.

Robinson was a passenger in a southbound Toyota Corolla, on her way home from a relaxing weekend trip with her roommate. Her friend had just merged onto I-5 from Highway 530, when a Ford Explorer slammed into them.

The other driver, Aaron Dean Gentry, 56, is charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence. New court papers accuse him of causing an earlier series of crashes and other near-misses leading up to the death.

Gentry had rear-ended a Jeep three times as he drove west on the 116th Street NE overpass in Marysville, according to the charges. On the third strike, the Ford was “in constant contact” with the Jeep, pushing it forward. The Jeep pulled over. The driver could do nothing but watch when the Ford turned north onto the southbound freeway offramp, plowing through construction barrels.

The Ford continued north along the southbound shoulder, swerving into oncoming traffic at times, at 80 to 100 mph, according to witness accounts.

At least two people reported coming within inches of the car around 4 p.m. The Ford was bearing down on them, when they swerved to the left. One driver reported the SUV missed her by about a foot.

Six miles north of 116th Street, the Ford crashed into the Toyota driven by Dora-Jean Wyne. Wyne’s son, 1, suffered a cut to his lip. Wyne, 30, had bruises. Robinson died instantly.

Gentry suffered no serious injuries. His speech was unintelligible to troopers, according to the charges. Blood samples taken 2½ hours after the crash measured his alcohol level at 0.22. The legal limit is 0.08.

Gentry’s blood tested positive for THC, too, at 1.4 nanograms. The legal limit to drive in Washington is 5 nanograms. THC is the mood-altering compound in marijuana.

Gentry, of the Tulalip area, had been convicted of driving under the influence in 1981, 1992, 2003 and 2016. He had been caught driving with a suspended or invalid license six times. He’d been found guilty of being impaired behind the wheel in 2009, negligent driving in 2014, and reckless driving in 2016. Troopers found the Ford had no ignition interlock device — a requirement for someone with his history — and his license had been suspended again months ago. He was driving his daughter’s vehicle, court papers show.

Miriam Robinson’s father, Ken, said he can’t understand how Gentry had not already served significant time behind bars, when he has been convicted five times of being drunk behind the wheel. Ken Robinson said Monday that he will be pushing for the sternest punishment possible.

“It isn’t so much vengeance — I’m angry, of course,” he said. “His history is that he’ll just keep doing what he’s been doing. My interest is getting him off the road for as long as possible, so that nobody else has to deal with this.”

A judge has raised Gentry’s bail from $500,000 to $1 million.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.