Quick Facts:
- King County Councilman Regan Dunn pleads guilty to DUI.
- "I feel like I let a lot of people down," he said.
- Arrest was in Cle Elum.
- No injuries in DUI incident.
In a stunning revelation, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn says he pleaded guilty to drunk driving near Cle Elum last month.
Dunn is a former federal prosecutor who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general and is now in his ninth year as a King County Council member.
We called him on his cellphone. We didn't know we'd find him at a shopping mall in California, and that he would suggest recording our talk for broadcast.
"I feel like I let a lot of people down. I let myself down, I let my family down, I let my constituents down," Dunn told us.
Dunn says he was driving east of Cle Elum last month, when he ran his pickup truck off the road after a night of drinking.
"A couple of beers on one restaurant, went over, had two or three, maybe three more beers at another restaurant," he said.
A neighbor found Dunn and took him home. He was driving alone and no one was hurt.
According to the incident report, Dunn staggered up the driveway to his cabin, and greeted a friend with the words "nakedness" and "you're a great American."
Deputies arrived to find him exhibiting the "obvious odor of intoxicants," according to the report. His eyes were "obviously bloodshot and watery," his speech was "slow and slurred."
"It was a dangerous decision. It put others at risk," Dunn said Thursday.
Instead of fighting the case, Dunn decided to plead guilty,.
"I'm going to jail, take my medicine and take responsibility for my own actions," Dunn said.
"I am ashamed of my actions. I made a very bad choice, a stupid choice. But I am also relieved, that I've been able to come forward and be candid. But for me, I look to the future," he said.
Dunn was polite and cooperative according, to the arresting officer. He'll spend a day in jail and five years on probation. He told us he's in an outpatient recovery program.
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