EVERETT — A Seattle police detective on Friday pleaded not guilty to drunken driving after allegedly causing a four-car accident in Mukilteo the day before.
A nearly empty vodka bottle was found in the GMC sport utility vehicle, which belongs to the city of Seattle, according to police reports released Friday.
John Fox, 46, of Everett, was driving the unmarked police SUV when he reportedly rear-ended another vehicle, officials said. That vehicle was pushed into two others.
Fox made a brief appearance in Everett District Court on Friday. He did not comment afterward.
The accident was reported just before 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Chennault Beach Road and the Mukilteo Speedway. No serious injuries were reported.
Paramedics noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the suspect, records show.
The detective had “slow slurred speech” and appeared “aloof” and unable to focus on tasks, such as providing his license, registration and proof of insurance, Mukilteo police wrote in their reports.
Fox allegedly told the arresting officer “I’m an idiot. I really screwed up” when he was being read his constitutional rights. He reportedly apologized for putting the officer in the position of having to arrest him.
Police took into evidence a nearly empty bottle of 80 proof vodka on the floor behind the driver’s seat. They also found at least six small, empty bottles of 100 proof peppermint schnapps that appeared to have been thrown from the front of the vehicle, according to police reports.
Fox declined to take a field sobriety test or to submit to a blood-alcohol breath test, officials said.
The detective was cited for driving under the influence and was released to a supervisor who drove him home, according to police reports. That is standard practice for police in similar cases, Mukilteo Police Chief Rex Caldwell said in a press release.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Fox was on duty at the time of the crash.
The detective is a 23-year veteran with Seattle police, according to a spokesman for that agency.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com
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