LYNNWOOD — A Tulalip man with a history of driving dangerously — once killing a person and hurting two others — was arrested again on Friday.
Darwin Weaselhead, 50, was taken into custody near Lynnwood on suspicion of driving while under the influence.
Deputy prosecutor Bob Hendrix brought up Weaselhead’s past crimes in court Monday. He has been convicted of at least 10 felonies, including vehicular assault and vehicular homicide. Many of those were committed in Yakima County.
A Snohomish County judge set his bail at $100,000 on Monday.
On Friday, Weaselhead was heading south on I-5 near the Everett mall around 7:30 p.m. He swerved and struck a median, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A Washington State Patrol trooper spotted Weaselhead in a Jeep just north of the interchange with I-405. A couple of cars were following behind using their hazard lights.
The trooper saw the Jeep weave out of its lane three times, according to court papers. He turned on his emergency lights, then his siren.
Weaselhead eventually was pulled over near the exit for 196th Street Southwest.
The Tulalip man told police he didn’t realize he had hit the median. The whole driver’s side of the Jeep was damaged.
When Weaselhead stepped out of the vehicle, police said he lost his balance and nearly fell into a ditch. He agreed to take a roadside breathalyzer test, which didn’t show any signs of alcohol use, according to court papers. Breathalyzers do not test for drugs.
Weaselhead wasn’t able to follow any of the trooper’s instructions during a field sobriety test.
On his way to jail, Weaselhead fell asleep in the backseat of the patrol car, police said. He woke himself up with a snore.
“He is a danger to the community,” Hendrix said in court Monday.
Weaselhead was convicted of vehicular homicide in 1990 and sentenced to about a year in prison. He also was sentenced in 2008 to 10 years in prison for two counts of vehicular assault.
In addition to these crimes, Weaselhead has eluded and assaulted police officers.
In 2005, a Marysville officer watched Weaselhead drive over a curb while leaving a parking lot. The car drifted out of its lane and was speeding.
The officer later noted that Weaselhead was slurring his words and had troubles walking on his own, according to a probable cause affidavit. When the officer was securing the man’s seat belt in the patrol car, Weaselhead kicked him in the jaw.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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