EVERETT — An Everett man accused of killing two people in a DUI crash showed “little to no remorse” in its aftermath, a state trooper wrote in a report filed in court Tuesday.
The couple was about to leave on their first vacation in retirement, according to family.
Caleb Wride, 22, drove a Chrysler 200 the wrong way on I-5 and slammed head-on into a southbound Volkswagen Beetle around 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the Washington State Patrol.
A driver and passenger in the Volkswagen were killed at the scene. Wilfrido Sarmiento, 67, and Mila Sarmiento, 65, were from Lynnwood. Both died of blunt force injuries, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Tuesday.
People had called 911 with reports of a sedan headed north in the southbound lanes of I-5. Then another caller reported the head-on crash just south of 41st Street in Everett.
Law enforcement arrived to find the victims deceased. A trooper also found Wride in his car, and the Everett man reported he consumed three or four shots of alcohol earlier in the evening, according to the police report filed in court. He also reportedly told the trooper he was “driving from Arlington to Marysville” on Highway 9.
In the opinion of trooper David Olson, the driver’s level of intoxication was “obvious.” An initial breath test within minutes of the crash gauged Wride’s blood-alcohol content at 0.189, more than double the legal limit.
According to the police report, Wride’s last known address was on West Mall Drive, about 4 miles from the scene of the crash.
Wride was transported to a hospital. Olson wrote the suspect was informed of what happened and that he was under arrest. Wride was “napping, smirking and laughing” in the hospital, the trooper wrote. Wride was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and driving under the influence.
A sample of Wride’s blood was obtained to test for drugs or alcohol.
Family members of the victims wept Tuesday at a bail hearing in Everett District Court. The couple’s three children addressed the judge, asking for the highest possible bail.
“My parents were two hardworking individuals who worked to provide for their three children and six grandchildren,” Wilfrido Sarmiento Jr. said. “They’d just retired in the last week and were supposed to be flying to Iceland today. Instead, their three children are working through funeral plans.”
Marlin Sarmiento, another son of the couple, told the judge he hopes nobody else has to go through what he’s feeling.
“I haven’t been able to get the idea of them driving down the road out of my head,” he said in court. “I’m so mad about the fact that they won’t get to see me walk down the aisle with my fiancee.”
Rowella Sarmiento told a Daily Herald reporter her parents were well loved and took care of their entire family.
“All I can think about is our kids and how much they will miss because of what happened,” she said.
District Court Judge Anthony Howard set Wride’s bail at $750,000 Tuesday afternoon. The suspect remained in custody.
Court records show Wride received three speeding tickets in the past three years, as well as citations for driving without insurance, without a driver’s license and while distracted by an electronic device.
Ellen Dennis: 425-339-3486; edennis@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterellen.
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