ASOTIN — A 34-year-old Lewiston man previously convicted of vehicular manslaughter pleaded not guilty Monday to a felony DUI in Asotin County.
Kyle N. Rios, who remains in custody of the Asotin County Jail, was arrested last week after driving from Lewiston to Clarkston while police conducted a DUI investigation on the owner of the vehicle.
Rios is charged with felony driving under the influence, obstructing a law enforcement officer and operating a vehicle without ignition interlock.
He is accused of jumping from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat of a van that was pulled over by police in Lewiston. The woman who owns the Honda Odyssey van was arrested for driving under the influence in Nez Perce County.
As law enforcement conducted a DUI investigation of the driver outside the vehicle, Rios reportedly drove away, crossing the Southway Bridge into Washington. An Asotin County deputy and Clarkston police officers conducted a “high risk” felony stop of the van on the 1100 block of Seventh Street, according to the probable cause affidavit.
In 2013, Rios was involved in a fatal car crash in a Lewiston intersection that killed 53-year-old Paul Stuk. In 2017, he was sentenced to three to six years in prison for the crime.
Attorney Nick Ward was appointed to represent Rios in Asotin County, and his next court appearance is set for Sept. 11. Prosecutor Curt Liedkie is handling the case on behalf of the state.
