A crash in the small town of Yacolt knocked down power lines after a driver reportedly swerved across the roadway and struck a utility pole, and when deputies arrived, they say she was eating toothpaste straight from the tube in an apparent attempt to mask the smell of alcohol on her breath.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded after reports that the woman had been swerving before she crashed into the pole, according to KATU. The sheriff's office posted video of the incident and, per the station's report, reminded the public not to drink and drive — or eat toothpaste in hopes of covering it up.
What Mouth Products Can Do
The Gounaris Abboud article says mints and mouthwash do not help beat a breathalyzer, though alcohol-containing mouthwash can leave residual mouth alcohol and artificially inflate a reading.
Washington law gives prosecutors two separate paths to a DUI charge. Under Washington Revised Code Section 46.61.502, a driver can be charged if their blood or breath alcohol concentration hits 0.08 percent or higher within two hours of driving, or if law enforcement can otherwise show their driving was visibly impaired by alcohol or drugs regardless of what a breath test shows. The same statute also sets strict rules for anyone who later claims they drank after driving but before testing — that defense requires formal notice to prosecutors ahead of pretrial hearings.
What Comes Next, Legally
Beyond the criminal case, a DUI arrest in Washington triggers an automatic administrative license suspension through the Department of Licensing, lasting anywhere from 90 days to two years and taking effect 60 days after arrest regardless of how the criminal case plays out, according to the Campbell Law Firm. Drivers have just 20 days to request a hearing if they want to contest it. The suspect's full identity, blood alcohol concentration results, and any formal charges from the Clark County Prosecutor's Office had not been released as of publication, and the allegations remain unproven until adjudicated in court.
Impaired Driving's Toll Across Washington
The Yacolt crash lands amid sobering statewide numbers. Impaired driving was initially associated with 348 traffic deaths across Washington in 2024, accounting for roughly 48 percent of all traffic deaths that year, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Preliminary 2025 data from the same commission shows the state recorded 659 total traffic fatalities, an 18 percent drop from the 33-year high of 809 deaths logged in 2023 — a second straight year of decline following pandemic-era spikes.
Locally, the crash also knocked out power in a corner of Clark County already familiar with pole-related outages. Clark Public Utilities serves more than 240,000 customers across a 628-square-mile territory, where vehicle strikes on poles and overhead lines rank among the top causes of localized blackouts, as Hoodline previously reported. Yacolt itself is a small community in Clark County.
The Yacolt crash knocked down a pole and power lines.
