By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer

A Parkdale man is protesting two DUII arrests that occurred within the span of a few minutes on the same day.

David Dethman, 53, is bringing the legal issue before Hood River Circuit Court Judge Paul Crowley at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. His case will be argued by Gig Wyatt, a DUII defense attorney from Salem.

The prosecution of the defendant is being handled by Deputy District Attorney Kate Stebbins.

Dethman, who has four prior DUII convictions in his criminal history, is facing 13 to 26 months in prison for his cumulative offenses. By Oregon law, an individual’s fourth DUII in a 10-year period becomes a Class C felony that is subject to stricter penalties.

He is hoping to reduce his total number of DUII arrests from six to five in the upcoming court hearing.

Dethman wants to merge the two DUII charges from May 14. He was allegedly pulled over at 9:57 a.m. for erratic driving but fled the scene. He was then reportedly stopped again in his own driveway a short time later.

Deputy Marc Smith, the arresting officer, cited Dethman for two DUII incidents instead of one. The defendant was also written up for two counts of driving with a license that had been revoked for life.

The initial traffic stop took place on May 14 along Woodworth Road. Smith allegedly observed Dethman swerving outside his lane of travel before activating his lights and siren.

According to reports, Smith, who recognized the subject, then radioed for back-up support and alerted Probation Officer Bill Nix about the incident.

Nix had been monitoring Dethman’s compliance with court directives — including a prohibition against alcohol consumption — following the man’s April drunk driving conviction.

Both Nix and Deputy Joel Carmody arrived at Dethman’s home a short time after being notified of the situation.

Dethman allegedly refused to take field sobriety tests and the law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant for a blood draw. Once that judicial permission was granted, Dethman was taken to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital for the medical procedure.

A blood alcohol content of .12 was allegedly recorded about two hours after the original traffic stop.

In a statement to Smith, Dethman allegedly said he had gotten behind the wheel of the car to go grocery shopping. The deputy observed no food in the vehicle, but did note several 24-ounce cans of beer, which Dethman was not allowed by a court order to possess.

He was arrested in 1996 for DUII in Jefferson County and for the same offense in 2002 in Crook County. In 2003, he was jailed in Hood River County for drunk driving and in 2005 for escape. His final three arrests for DUII occurred in April and May of 2009.