An assistant attorney with the Vancouver City Attorney’s Office who’s accused of drunken driving was arraigned Monday in Skamania County District Court.
Nicholas Z. Barnabas, 32, of Vancouver entered a not-guilty plea to driving under the influence stemming from an April 23 stop on state Highway 14, according to court administration.
During his hearing, Barnabas was granted release on his own recognizance. He has a review hearing June 5 in Skamania County, court records show.
It’s common for cases to be handled in other counties when attorneys are defendants, because they have existing relationships with local judges.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeffrey Wallace was traveling east on Highway 14 near Milepost 2 in the left lane at about 12:30 a.m. when he saw a silver Mazda sedan in his rearview mirror. The Mazda appeared to be traveling faster than the posted speed limit of 60 mph. The trooper recorded the car’s speed at 78 mph, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The Mazda then passed the trooper in the right lane. He activated his emergency lights and stopped the car on the right shoulder. Wallace contacted the driver, later identified as Barnabas, and said he could immediately smell the odor of alcohol coming from the car, the affidavit states.
Barnabas told the trooper, “I had a couple of beers way earlier, but I’m fine now,” court records show.
However, his speech was slow, Wallace said, and his eyes were watery and bloodshot. He asked Barnabas to step out of the vehicle and if he was willing to perform voluntary field sobriety tests. Barnabas said, “I respectfully decline.” He also declined a preliminary breath test, according to court documents.
Barnabas’ defense attorney, Jack Green, told The Columbian that his client was subsequently taken to the State Patrol’s Vancouver office, where he provided two breath samples: 0.061 and 0.060 breath-alcohol concentration. In Washington, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more is considered evidence of drunken driving.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Barnabas has worked for the city attorney’s office since January 2016. He is still employed with the office, Vancouver City Prosecutor Kevin McClure said last week.
