On Thursday night (March 27) an alleged drunk driver missed the turn at Cattle Point and Golf Course roads.

The driver demolished a telephone utility box, hitting it with such force that it was knocked 25 feet off of its base.

As of Sunday, approximately 200 people have been without phone and many without Internet service… again.

At that, we were lucky. It could have been a child on a bike, a runner, or another car with a family in it.

Washington state laws regarding the penalties for drunk driving are relatively lenient and we, in San Juan County, seem reluctant to even apply those. A slap on the wrist and a promise never to do it again and off the driver goes.

If this driver is convicted of a DUI, the purpose of this letter is to ask the prosecutor to ask for the maximum sentence the law allows.

Drunk driving is a choice, not an accident and we were very lucky that the only damage was some property and inconvenience.

Alan Davis/Friday Harbor