A Washington state Democratic candidate now facing DUI charges was captured on police body camera footage sobbing and praying in the back of a patrol car after her truck allegedly plowed into a parked car and set off a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles.

Krista Perez, who is running for a state House seat in Washington's 29th Legislative District, was arrested shortly after midnight on August 11 after Tacoma police responded to a multi-vehicle crash on South G Street. Prosecutors have since charged her with DUI with a refusal enhancement, a stiffer charge that stems from her alleged failure to produce a usable breath sample at police headquarters.

Perez finished first in last month's primary and is set to face incumbent Democratic Rep. Melanie Morgan in the November general election. The body camera footage, obtained and published by The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red, shows a candidate who denied she was in an accident, admitted to drinking wine, refused voluntary field sobriety tests, and then broke down in tears once officers placed her under arrest.

Perez denied the crash, then admitted she had been drinking

The footage begins with an officer approaching Perez at the scene and asking a direct question: "Did you get into an accident here?" Perez answered, "I did not." She added, "I don't know. I've never been in an accident before."

But her 2019 Chevrolet Silverado had allegedly struck a parked car hard enough to trigger a chain reaction that left five vehicles damaged along the street. When the officer pressed further, Perez acknowledged she had been driving from a friend's business on Tacoma Avenue South.

Fox News reported that Perez told the officer she had consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel.

"I just had some wine while I was there."

When the officer asked how large the glass was, Perez deflected: "I think you might need to contact the business." She said she had one glass. But when asked to rate her own sobriety on a scale of zero to ten, zero being completely sober, the New York Post reported that Perez gave herself a four.

A self-assessed four out of ten is not a ringing endorsement of one's own sobriety. And it contradicts the picture of a single glass of wine.

She declined sobriety tests, then couldn't produce a breath sample

The officer explained the field sobriety tests clearly and patiently, telling Perez they were voluntary. The body camera captured him walking her through the options.

"So it's a series of tests that I take you through to make sure to see if you're impaired by alcohol, or you're not. Are you okay with doing that? It's totally voluntary."

Perez declined. "Not right now. I'd like to go home first," she said. The officer told her that going home was not one of the options. "You're not going to go home first. I'm going to tell you that right now, okay?" he said. Perez repeated her preference: "Yeah, I would like to go home first."

Under Washington state law, roadside sobriety tests are not mandatory, and declining them is a separate matter from the refusal enhancement that prosecutors ultimately added to the charge. That enhancement, cited in the arrest report obtained by The Jason Rantz Show, came from what happened next, at Tacoma Police headquarters, where Perez attempted three times to provide a breath sample. The machine timed out before she produced a usable reading.

The distinction matters legally. Declining a roadside walk-and-turn test is one thing. Failing to blow into a breathalyzer at the station is what triggered the refusal enhancement, which carries additional penalties under state law.

Body camera captured Perez's breakdown after the arrest

When the officer told Perez she was under arrest, she tried to stall. "Hold on. Hold on. One second. Hold on," she said. It did not work.

Once in the back of the patrol car, the footage shows Perez crying and praying aloud for several minutes. "Help me, God. Help me. Help me. Holy Spirit, help me, God," she said through sobs. The emotional display is striking, but it does not change the five damaged vehicles she left behind on South G Street, or the DUI charge she now carries into a general election.

Perez has not issued a public statement in response to the charges or the release of the footage, at least not one captured in available reporting. Whether she addresses it before November could shape the race in the 29th District, where she will face Morgan, the incumbent.

Washington Democrats have a recent track record with alcohol and public office

Perez is not the first Washington state Democrat to face scrutiny over drinking. Earlier this year, state House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon acknowledged that he had been drinking alcohol before a House Appropriations Committee hearing in February. He issued a statement to The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red:

"I made a poor choice last night by drinking alcohol before we had finished our work for the day. I am disappointed in myself and take responsibility for that poor choice. It won't happen again, and I'm committed to completing my work this session without alcohol."

Fitzgibbon apologized. He kept his seat. No charges were filed. The contrast with Perez's situation is obvious, Fitzgibbon drank before a committee meeting, while Perez allegedly drank, drove, and wrecked five cars, but the pattern of Democratic officials in Olympia running into alcohol-related trouble is hard to ignore.

Under Washington state law, a DUI charge does not prohibit someone from serving in the legislature. So Perez could, in theory, win her race and take office while the case is still pending. Voters in the 29th District will have to decide whether that matters to them.

The incident adds to a growing list of Democratic candidates and officials facing serious legal trouble in recent months. A Hawaii Democratic congressional candidate faced mounting felony charges after a beach brawl caught on video, and a Massachusetts mayor was arrested on federal COVID fraud charges for allegedly diverting funds to his campaign and personal debts.

Several open questions remain. No injuries from the five-vehicle crash have been reported, but the full extent of the property damage is unclear. The specific prosecutors' office that filed the charges has not been identified in available reporting. And the current status of the case, whether a court date has been set, whether Perez has retained counsel, remains unknown.

The body camera footage is damning not because Perez cried or prayed, anyone might, in that moment, but because of everything that came before the tears. She denied the crash. She admitted to drinking. She rated herself a four out of ten on sobriety. She declined the tests. She failed to produce a breath sample. The footage, from start to finish, is a record of evasion.

It is also worth noting that prominent Democrats connected to powerful figures have faced similar legal trouble with vehicles and faced little lasting consequence. Paul Pelosi was charged with hit-and-run in Napa County years after a prior DUI conviction. Whether Perez receives the same gentle treatment from her party and the press remains to be seen.

Five wrecked cars and a campaign that now runs on faith alone

Perez won her primary. She has a path to the state legislature. Nothing in Washington law stops a DUI defendant from serving.

But the footage is public now. Voters can watch her deny what happened, admit she had been drinking, refuse the tests, fail the breath sample, and then pray for help in the back seat of a police cruiser. The prayer may have been sincere. The denial that came before it was not.

Accountability is supposed to start before you reach the patrol car, not after.