A Portland woman faces charges of driving under the influence and stealing a vehicle after she crossed the state line and hit multiple cars, police say.
On Sept. 26, Erika McClung, 29, made her first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on a count of DUI and one of possession of a stolen vehicle. McClung is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Oct. 4.
The charges come after McClung allegedly stole a Subaru Forester in Portland and hit multiple vehicles in Clark County before she was arrested in Hockinson, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
At about 10:50 a.m. on Sept. 25, emergency dispatchers received calls about a driver involved in a number of hit-and-run accidents that were first reported at the intersection of Northeast 99th Street and Highway 99, the release stated. After receiving five calls about the vehicle, Clark County sheriff’s deputies received information the vehicle had been called in as stolen, though it had not been entered into law enforcement data systems.
At close to 11 a.m., a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a reckless driving call near the intersection of Northeast 119th Street and Northeast 117th Avenue, according to a probable cause affidavit. The deputy found the reported vehicle near Northeast 119th Street and Sliderberg Road in Hockinson. The vehicle passed the deputy in the opposite direction as it traveled through the intersection of Northeast 119th Street and Northeast 192nd Avenue without stopping.
The deputy reported seeing the vehicle drive toward a group of pedestrians who were crossing Northeast 192nd Avenue and “barely missed” hitting them, the affidavit stated. The deputy watched the vehicle pull into a driveway and park. Another deputy told McClung to turn the vehicle off though she refused, according to the affidavit.
The second deputy turned off the vehicle and both deputies removed McClung, the affidavit stated. The deputies noticed signs of intoxication and observed further signs during a field sobriety test.
McClung refused a preliminary breath test but was arrested based on the other evidence, according to the affidavit. McClung was transported to Legacy Salmon Creek hospital for a blood test following an approved search warrant and was booked into jail.
Deputies confirmed with the Portland Police Bureau that the vehicle was stolen in a burglary, the release stated.
