WEST RICHLAND, Wash. – West Richland Police arrested Benton County Public Defense Director Keith Johnson on March 1 for allegedly driving under the influence.
A case report from WRPD says at around 9:36 p.m., an officer driving eastbound on Keene Road near Bombing Range Road watched a truck allegedly cross into oncoming lanes of travel multiple times and make sudden changes in speed.
The report says after being stopped, the driver, Johnson, admitted to taking sleep medicine an hour earlier which the officer initially believed was the reason for his erratic driving.
The officer then performed a field sobriety test on Johnson and began to smell alcohol coming from him. As a result of both, Johnson was arrested for DUI and booked into the Benton County Jail after being medically cleared.
NonStop Local reached out to Johnson who had no comment. His attorney, Brian Roach, said “it is early in the investigation and we anticipate coming to an amicable resolution with the city in the near future.”
West Richland City Prosecutor Michael Rio says Johnson was arraigned on a DUI charge on March 3, with his next scheduled court date in the Benton County District Court set for April 16.
Johnson has been the public defense director for Benton County since January. He previously spent time as the Franklin County administrator from 2015 to 2022.
