Trooper gets eyeful from nude couple in I-90 stop

Even behavior that's clearly the exact opposite of road rage can land you in hot water.

A man and woman learned that last Friday when a trooper pulled over their SUV after he saw it drifting across Interstate 90 in Bellevue.

When he walked up to the car at 1:20 a.m., the trooper was greeted by the naked couple trying to stash an empty wine bottle, according to the State Patrol.

The 20-year-old woman in the passenger seat quickly grabbed a T-shirt to cover up, but the 19-year-old man behind the wheel didn't flinch, said State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill.

The legal drinking age in this state is 21.

The trooper asked the couple to get dressed, and both took a sobriety test. The driver had a breath-alcohol level of 0.08 percent, and was cited for drunken driving as a minor, the State Patrol said. Youths under 21 can be cited for drunken driving if their breath-alcohol level is more than 0.02 percent, Merrill said.

The driver was also cited for embracing while driving, a misdemeanor.

Merrill said it appears the couple were engaging in some sort of "physical act."

"There were some acts of physical intimacy going on in the vehicle that were best saved for not driving down the freeway," Merrill said.

The woman was cited for being a minor in possession of alcohol.

The two were taken to the Mercer Island Police Department, where a friend picked them up. Their vehicle was impounded, Merrill said.

"We harp on the fact that being impaired is so dangerous, but being distracted is equally as dangerous," Merrill said. "I can't think of anything more distracting than this."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com