Mountlake Terrace police commander fired after DUI arrest

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A Mountlake Terrace police commander has been fired in connection with his recent arrest for drunken driving.

Don Duncan, 50, was on call the night of Jan. 31 when he was pulled over by a Washington State Patrol trooper. He reportedly tried to talk his way out of a DUI arrest and accused the trooper of being untruthful.

Duncan had been with the police department for nearly 18 years, and was a police commander for the past two years.

In the 14-page termination letter sent Thursday, Mountlake Terrace city administrator Arlene Fisher wrote that Duncan’s behavior showed “a complete absence of judgment” and reflected poorly on the police department.

Duncan’s attempts to justify what happened that night, including placing blame on his coworkers, were “feeble” and “unfathomable,” Fisher wrote.

On Jan. 31, Duncan reportedly was drinking with others at an Arlington-area restaurant until 1 the next morning. He then drove a friend to the Tulalip Resort Casino, where he stayed for a while before driving home toward Lake Stevens.

A trooper noticed Duncan’s car crossing the center line and that his headlights weren’t on, according to public records.

Duncan, who’d identified himself as a Mountlake Terrace police officer during the stop, submitted to field sobriety tests but declined to take a breath alcohol test.

The trooper happened to have a county district court prosecutor on a ride-along. A State Patrol sergeant also responded to assist with the arrest.

Both the prosecutor and the sergeant reported that Duncan appeared intoxicated.

Just after 3:15 a.m., hours after being arrested, Duncan took a breath test and reportedly blew a .055 and .058. The legal limit to drive in Washington is .08.

Duncan’s case was forwarded to prosecutors, and he was charged with drunken driving.

He was placed on leave from the police department during a separate, internal investigation.

The 259-page internal investigation determined that Duncan violated department policies related to on-duty and off-duty conduct, work performance and safety.

At a disciplinary meeting on April 22, Duncan gave the city a letter from his attorney saying that his expected termination was unjust and unwarranted, and that the internal investigation was flawed.

During the internal investigation, Duncan reportedly told officials he had not received proper training about being on-call as the command duty officer. In that position, he is expected to respond to any major incidents, such an officer-involved shooting or homicide, and assume a leadership role and be the face of the department.

The investigation found that Duncan allegedly had drunk alcohol on multiple occasions when he was on call as command.

The prosecutor who was on the State Patrol ride-along wrote that Duncan should have been “understanding, or gracious” about the position the trooper was in, instead of implying that the trooper was making a bad call by arresting him.

Duncan pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge and the case is pending trial, court records show.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Emergency responders surround an ultralight airplane that crashed Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at the Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington, resulting in the pilot's death. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Pilot dead in ultralight plane crash at Arlington Municipal Airport

There were no other injuries or fatalities reported, a city spokesperson said.

An example of the Malicious Women Co. products (left) vs. the Malicious Mermaid's products (right). (U.S. District Court in Florida)
Judge: Cheeky candle copycat must pay Snohomish company over $800K

The owner of the Malicious Women Co. doesn’t expect to receive any money from the Malicious Mermaid, a Florida-based copycat.

A grave marker for Blaze the horse. (Photo provided)
After Darrington woman’s horse died, she didn’t know what to do

Sidney Montooth boarded her horse Blaze. When he died, she was “a wreck” — and at a loss as to what to do with his remains.

A fatal accident the afternoon of Dec. 18 near Clinton ended with one of the cars involved bursting into flames. The driver of the fully engulfed car was outside of the vehicle by the time first responders arrived at the scene. (Whidbey News-Times/Submitted photo)
Driver sentenced in 2021 crash that killed Everett couple

Danielle Cruz, formerly of Lynnwood, gets 17½ years in prison. She was impaired by drugs when she caused the crash that killed Sharon Gamble and Kenneth Weikle.

A person walks out of the Everett Clinic on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Everett Clinic changing name to parent company Optum in 2024

The parent company says the name change will not affect quality of care for patients in Snohomish County.

Tirhas Tesfatsion (GoFundMe) 20210727
Lynnwood settles for $1.7 million after 2021 suicide at city jail

Jail staff reportedly committed 16 safety check violations before they found Tirhas Tesfatsion, 47, unresponsive in her cell.

Jamel Alexander, center, listens as a Snohomish County jury records their verdict of guilty, in the murder of Shawna Brune, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 in Everett, Washington.  Alexander was convicted in the first degree murder of Brune. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Appeals court orders new trial in Everett woman’s stomping death

Appellate judges ruled that additional evidence should have been admitted in Jamel Alexander’s trial for the murder of Shawna Brune.

William Gore, left, holds the hand of Skylar, 9, in a Baby Yoda sweatshirt as they go for a walk in the rain at Forest Park on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Keep your umbrellas, rain gear handy this week in Snohomish County

The National Weather Service says up to 1½ inches are possible through Wednesday.

The city of Mukilteo is having a naming contest for its new $75,000 RC Mowers R-52, a remote-operated robotic mower. (Submitted photo)
Mukilteo muncher: Name the $75,000 robot mower

The city is having a naming contest for its new sod-slaying, hedge-hogging, forest-clumping, Mr-mow-it-all.

Most Read