Crime & Safety

Edmonds Man, Convicted of Drunken Driving 6 Times, Is Arrested Again

Scott Harrison Astel is being held in King County Jail on a $250,000 bail. His convictions include one in Edmonds Municipal Court.

An Edmonds man who has been found guilty of driving under the influence six times has been charged with felony driving under the influence after an accident in the driveway of the Shoreline Bartell Drugs on Dec. 14.

Scott Harrison Astel, 53, was charged on Dec. 19 in King County Superior Court with reckless driving and driving while having his license suspended, in addition to the felony DUI charge.

Astel remains in the King County Jail with bail set at $250,000. He will be arraigned on Thursday.

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Astel was driving his Ford F-250 truck about 8 p.m. Dec. 14 when he turned wide into Bartell Drugs’ driveway on 185th Street. Astel struck a BMW at low speed, damaging the BMW's bumper and driver’s side door, according to a King County Sheriff’s Office probable cause statement.

The driver of the BMW called police to report the accident and said she believed Astel had been drinking.

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When officers arrived on the scene and questioned Astel, they say his eyes appeared watery and bloodshot and he was leaning on his truck to stay balanced.

Astel had trouble with two field sobriety tests, the officers said. A portable breath test given to Astel by an officer showed a blood alcohol level of 0.196.

The officers arrested Astel on suspicion of DUI. He later refused a breath test at the police station.

According to the King County Prosecutor's Office, Astel had a DUI conviction in 1996, one in 2006 and four in 2008. He has two convictions each in Shoreline District Court, Edmonds Municipal Court and Seattle Municipal Court.

Astel was supposed to have an ignition interlock device on his vehicle until 2023 because of his prior DUI convictions.


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