There must have been a full moon because state troopers had a wild and wooly early morning this past Saturday in Silverdale, making three DUI arrests within the span of two hours at the same location. All three of the arrested drivers are in their early 20s.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” Washington State Patrol Trooper Russ Winger, who serves as the District 8 Public Information Officer, wrote in a release. “It’s dangerous out there between the paint folks so watch your back. Drive Sober.”

Winger said “the fun started at around 2:02 a.m.” Saturday when a trooper attempted to stop a speeding vehicle traveling east bound on Bucklin Hill Road. The trooper checked the vehicle speed at 75 mph in the 35 mph zone and attempted to overtake and stop the 2002 Acura. This attempt to stop the speeding vehicle, now failing to yield, eventually turned into a pursuit with speeds of 80-plus mph.

The pursuit ended at the intersection of NW Fairgrounds Road and Central Valley Road with the suspect vehicle crashing into a dirt embankment. The 25-year-old driver of this vehicle, alone in the car, was taken into custody for felony eluding and DUI and eventually booked into the Kitsap County Jail.

At approximately 2:55 a.m., while troopers and detectives were investigating the pursuit collision, a 2004 Infinity sped through the scene requiring the on-ground troopers to take evasive action to avoid getting struck. The 24-year-old female driver was stopped by one of the troopers and arrested for DUI and reckless driving. She was also booked into the Kitsap County Jail, refusing the breath test.

“It gets better,” Winger deadpanned.

At 3:49 a.m., with troopers still investigating the pursuit collision, a 1995 Toyota Camry driven by a 62-year-old female approached the scene south bound on Central Valley Road, stopping at the red signal light. Her vehicle was struck from the rear by a 1989 Nissan truck driven by a 24- year-old male driver. The Nissan, with heavy front damage, fled the scene south bound on Central Valley Road. A trooper and his field training cadet went in pursuit of the fleeing Nissan.

After approximately one half mile, the Nissan’s damaged hood flew open blocking the driver’s vision and the truck crashed into the south bound ditch. The troopers forcibly removed the male driver as he was still attempting to flee this second collision. The driver was arrested for DUI and felony hit-and-run and was booked into the Kitsap County Jail with a $50,000 bail.

This driver’s blood alcohol was over twice the legal limit. The female victim of this injury collision was transported to Harrison Hospital.