City of Montesano v. Wells

In this case, we are asked to decide whether a bicyclist can be charged under the law prohibiting driving a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs (DUI). Holding that the Legislature intended the law to apply to motor vehicles only, we reverse Daniel Wells’s DUI conviction.

Facts

At about 3 a.m. on June 14, 1992, Daniel Wells was riding his bicycle on a back street in Montesano. Officer Steve Needham pulled him over after observing Wells swerving and making very wide turns. Officer Needham testified that Wells’s speech was slurred, that he smelled of intoxicants, and…