Car Thief Gets Arrested for DUI in Pullman, WA

On November 19, 2023 at approximately 2:48 PM, Whitcom dispatched a Theft Automobile report from the hotel located at 1190 SE Bishop Boulevard. The reporting party was advising that his 1992 GMC pickup truck had been stolen. He described the suspect as a female in her 20s with short dark hair and dark clothing. Officer Nathan Padrta located a pickup truck matching his description in a residential driveway on SE Bleasner Drive, and approached the vehicle. He noticed that a female matching the witness description was sitting in the driver’s seat, and he instructed her to show him her hands before removing her from the vehicle and placing her in handcuffs. 
After detaining her, Officer Padrta advised her of her Constitutional rights, and began to question her. She admitted to stealing the car, and then she was placed under arrest for Vehicle Theft. Officer Carpenter searched the female incident to arrest, and she located a plastic tube that indicated that she had recently consumed prohibited substances that could have caused impairment. The female was asked to identify herself, but she initially provided the officers with a false name. She would later be identified as 25-year-old Nichole Ford.
Officer St. Andre transported the caller to the scene, and he positively identified the pickup truck as belonging to him and his wife. He checked the pickup truck for missing items, but he did not note anything that was missing. The caller was walked over to the patrol vehicle where Nichole was being detained, and he positively identified her as the female matching the description he had provided over the phone. 
Nichole was transported over to the Pullman Police Department for further processing. At the station, Nichole was asked to perform field sobriety exercises, and they indicated a likelihood of impairment. She was asked to submit to a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT), and the results indicated a BAC of 0.00%. Nichole also agreed to submit breath samples for an evidentiary breath test, and the results indicated that she was not under the influence of alcohol. However, based on her behavior and the items found on her person, she was informed that she was also under arrest for DUI because the officers believed that she was impaired by another substance.
After Officer Carpenter administered the breathalyzer and completed the paperwork, Nichole was placed in a cell for a while. Officer Padrta later transported Nichole to the Whitman County Jail in Colfax, WA. She was cited under RCW 46.61.502 for driving under the influence and RCW 9A.56.065 for Theft of Motor Vehicle. 
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