Edmonds Man, Convicted of Drunk Driving Six Times, Arrested on Felony DUI in Shoreline

An Edmonds man who has been found guilty of driving under the influence six times, was charged with felony driving DUI after an accident in the driveway of the Shoreline on Dec. 14.

Scott Harrison Astel, 53, was charged with reckless driving and driving while having his license suspended on Dec. 19 in King County Superior Court, in addition to the felony DUI charge.

Astel remains in the King County Jail with bail set at $250,000 by the court. He will be arraigned Dec. 29.

Astel was driving his Ford-250 truck about 8 p.m. Dec. 14, when he turned wide into the Bartell Drugs’ driveway on 185th St., and struck a BMW at a low speed, causing damage to the driver’s side door of the BMW and his bumper, according to a King County Sheriff’s Office probable cause statement.

The driver of the BMW, a woman, called police to report the accident and said she believed Astel had been drinking.

When officers arrived on the scene and talked to Astel , his eyes appeared watery and bloodshot and he was leaning on his truck to stay balanced.

Astel had trouble with two field sobriety tests, the nine-step walk and one-leg stand. A portable breath test given to Astel by the officer showed a blood alcohol level of .196.

The officer arrested Astel on suspicion of DUI. He later refused a breath test at the police station.

According to the King County Prosecutor's Office, Astel, had a DUI conviction in 1996, one in 2006 and four in 2008. He has two convictions each in Shoreline District Court, Edmonds Municipal Court, and Seattle Municipal Court.

Astel was supposed to have an ignition interlock device on his vehicle until 2023 because of his prior DUI convictions.