Breathalyzer showed driver's blood alcohol above .4 just after crash

Victim: Six-year-old passenger and grandmother both found safe

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A local hairstylist allegedly caused a two-vehicle accident with a blood alcohol of five times the legal limit last Wednesday.

Melissa Coleman, 36, of Olympia, was found out of her truck by Olympia Police at the intersection of Herman Rd SE and Wiggins Rd SE, lying on the ground, unable to stand at approximately 2:40 p.m. on Wed., May 19, 2021.

Swaying back and forth while being interviewed by officers, Coleman’s speech was slurred and had to be asked several times to speak up because she kept her voice at a low volume. Coleman’s two breath samples on the Draeger breathalyzer yielded results of 0.409 (EC) and 0.40 (IR). These results are four times the legal limit of .08 in Washington.

Coleman admitted to drinking “some wine” and required assistance standing. The police report wrote that Coleman was very unstable and the officer had to assist her to remain standing and to prevent her from falling back down.

Coleman’s truck had collided with the driver of a Jeep Wrangler, who had her six-year-old grandson secured in the car seat in the right rear portion of the vehicle.

The driver of the Jeep said that she had been stopped at the stop sign on westbound Herman Rd SE, and Coleman’s pickup collided into the rear of her Jeep, shattering the Jeep’s rear window and causing her vehicle to travel across both lanes of Wiggins Rd SE.

Two witnesses to the collision said that Coleman’s truck came down Herman Rd SE at “full speed.”

When OPD came to the scene, they found Coleman wearing her Sport Cuts uniform. The business is 2 miles from the accident scene.

Coleman was arrested and booked into the Olympia jail for driving under the influence.

5/26/21  10:30 p.m. - This story was updated to correct a typographical error in the headline. 

5/28/21 2:30 p.m. - The name of Ms Coleman's employer was corrected. 

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