Suspected repeat drunk driver slams into Kennewick police sergeant’s car

A Tri-Cities man is in jail accused of crashing into a police car while driving drunk. And it’s not the first time he’s charged with DUI.

Just before 10 p.m. on Sunday, a Kennewick police sergeant was driving west on West 10th Avenue near the intersection of South Rainier Street when he was hit by a Jeep that ran a stop sign, according to a social media post from the department.

The driver of the Jeep has been identified as 35-year-old Kalvin Joseph Kernan.

The sergeant suffered a concussion and a cut over his right eye, according to court documents. Photos show significant damage to the front of the Kennewick police SUV. Court documents say the sergeant was crossing the intersection headed west, when Kernan ran the stop sign headed south.

He is being held in the Benton County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail on suspicion of vehicular assault, felony DUI, violating an ignition interlock order and driving with a suspended license, according to jail records.

Witnesses told officers that they believe Kernan was traveling at about 60 mph in his 1992 Jeep Cherokee when he “blew the stop sign.”

Kernan told officers he “f---’d up” and asked whether others involved in the wreck were OK.

Officers said they could smell the alcohol on him and he was slurring his speech. He told officers he drank a “six pack” over the course of the day, according to court documents.

Officers also found a vape pen in his pocket, which Kernan told officers contained THC and CBD oil. He then admitted to using the pen all day while drinking and told officers his life was ruined, according to the documents.

His driving record showed three previous convictions and an ignition interlock violation, according to the documents. A 2012 DUI conviction in Franklin County also included a charge for attempting to elude police.