Washington State Supreme Court DUI Ruling

September 9, 2009
By Owens Davies Fristoe Taylor & Schultz on September 9, 2009 11:23 AM |

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled in State v. Rivera-Santos that a DUI that crosses state lines can be tried in both the outside state and in Washington under Washington law without violating double jeopardy. Santiago Rivera-Santos allegedly drove a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol from southern Washington into northern Oregon on January 12, 2007. Rivera-Santos was convicted of DUI in Oregon. The Supreme Court ruled that though he had previously been convicted of DUI in Oregon, he can also be charged in Washington without violating Washington's double jeopardy statue as the crime was committed in two separate jurisdictions.