Man accused of driving drunk, killing teen in Lake Stevens

Published 1:30 am Saturday, November 26, 2016

EVERETT — The Snohomish-area man was so drunk that police officers could smell alcohol on him from five feet away, prosecutors wrote in court papers.

His eyes were bloodshot and watery and he was swaying. He stumbled when he tried to walk and slurred his words, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow wrote.

Richard Peck allegedly cursed at the other driver, circling the mangled car. “Where’s the (expletive) driver?” a witness heard him say. It appeared that Peck wanted to fight the other man, the witness reported.

The other driver, Patrick Wallace, 19, was slumped over in his Honda Civic. He had died instantly when Peck slammed into the side of his Honda.

Prosecutors this week charged Peck, 32, with vehicular homicide. He is accused of driving drunk and running a red light on Highway 9 near Lake Stevens. Wallace, a 2015 Snohomish High School graduate, was just entering the intersection at 20th Street SE when he was broadsided.

About two hours after the May 21 crash, Peck’s blood-alcohol level was .18, more than twice the legal limit. He also tested positive for marijuana, Darrow wrote.

Peck is expected to be arraigned next month. He has a 2013 conviction for reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.

A witness told police that he was stopped in the left eastbound lane on 20th Street SE and Wallace was in the right lane. The light turned green and the witness pulled forward but stopped abruptly when he saw a southbound Jeep Cherokee speeding through the red light, Darrow wrote.

Another witness also reported that Peck blew through the red light.

Wallace “apparently did not see the Cherokee,” Darrow wrote, adding that the young man’s vision may have been obstructed by the vehicle next to him.

The Cherokee crashed into the Civic. The force was so great it pushed Wallace’s seat into the passenger side of the Honda. The vehicles spun around in the highway, coming to rest in the northbound lanes.

A witness stopped to check on Wallace. Peck reportedly was already standing near the vehicle, yelling for the driver. The witness checked Wallace for a pulse. He determined that the teen was dead and told Peck.

“The defendant continued to circle around the Honda apparently looking for the driver,” Darrow wrote.

Police arrived and Peck told them he had a green light and the other driver pulled out in front of him. Officers immediately noticed the odor of alcohol, court papers said. An officer “characterized the defendant’s level of intoxication as ‘obvious,’” Darrow wrote.

Peck was arrested and taken to a local hospital for blood tests.

Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives reconstructed the crash scene. There was no evidence that either vehicle braked. A detective also concluded that Peck’s light was red for 7.19 seconds prior to impact. He was going 55 mph when he hit Wallace. Detectives determined that given the friction of the roadway and speed of the Cherokee, Peck had twice the minimum distance needed to safely stop his vehicle when the light turned red, Darrow wrote.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.