by Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard
August 14, 2026
Authorities charged a Washington state House candidate Thursday with impaired driving that resulted in a five-car crash in Tacoma earlier in the week.
Krista Perez, 40, is accused of driving her pickup truck into a parked car, causing a chain reaction that left three other cars damaged in the 3700 block of South G Street in Tacoma near Lincoln High School, according to charging papers filed in Tacoma Municipal Court. She later failed to give an adequate breathalyzer sample, police say.
Perez’s attorney had said she was scheduled to be arraigned on the driving under the influence charge Monday afternoon, but the hearing is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 18.
Perez, a Democrat, is in the middle of an election campaign that could see her unseat Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland. She led Morgan in the primary by about two percentage points, running to the incumbent’s left, with heavy support from organized labor. Her campaign in the 29th Legislative District is one of several tests across Washington of whether a progressive challenger can unseat a more moderate Democrat.
Perez’s defense attorney, Bryan G. Hershman, said Friday that he hopes “we can stay focused on an important campaign.”
“We’re talking about a DUI,” he said. “It’s not like we’re talking about felony murder here.”
“No matter what happens in this DUI case, there’s still homeless people we need to get off the streets,” Hershman added. “I hope we can stay focused on what’s relevant.”
Hershman said just after noon Friday that he hadn’t yet read the charges filed by the Tacoma city attorney’s office.
Perez hasn’t responded to direct requests for comment. Morgan couldn’t be reached either.
After the crash Tuesday, an officer noted Perez smelled of alcohol and appeared confused, according to the court documents. She confirmed she was driving, but reported she didn’t know what had happened. Her Chevy Silverado was nearly on top of another car and her driver’s airbag had been deployed.
Perez told investigators she’d had a glass of wine at a local winery, according to court papers. When they asked how much, the papers said she told them to ask winery staff and appeared offended by the question. She reportedly rated her level of intoxication at a four on a scale of one to 10. She also seemed offended at an officer asking if she believed her drinking had contributed to the crash, according to police.
An officer asked her to perform field sobriety tests to see how impaired she was, the court documents say. She repeatedly told authorities she didn’t understand, according to the charges. Perez said she wanted to go home before taking the tests, but officers told her that wasn’t an option. She eventually declined to participate in the sobriety tests, police said.
Due to Perez’s odor of alcohol, noticeable mood swings, slurred speech, red eyes and unsteady gait, Tacoma police arrested her, according to the police report.
At Tacoma police headquarters, she reportedly agreed to provide breath samples after speaking with her attorney.
But despite several attempts to explain to Perez how to use a breathalyzer, she failed to give a breath sample, according to police. She reportedly tucked her lips in and pulled away from the mouthpiece, resulting in weak breaths that were insufficient. Police labeled her as refusing a breathalyzer test.
If convicted, her sentence could be worsened because of her alleged refusal to take a breath test.
She was booked into Pierce County jail, where she spent six hours before being released.
Perez works for the state as a strategic partnerships manager for the Department of Commerce. She mounted a failed bid for Tacoma City Council last year.
She has repeatedly attacked Morgan, her campaign opponent, for her vote against the state’s income tax on high earners that the Legislature passed earlier this year. She’s backed by several powerful statewide unions, including the Service Employees International Union, Washington Federation of State Employees and Washington Education Association.
The 29th District represents most of south and east Tacoma, Parkland, Spanaway and parts of Lakewood. Morgan has been in office since 2019.
This story has been updated with information about Perez’s scheduled arraignment.
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