King County assessor Noble under investigation for vehicular assault and DUI

King County Assessor Scott Noble is under investigation for vehicular assault and drunken driving in connection with a head-on collision on Interstate 5 last month that sent Noble and two others to the hospital, according to the State Patrol.

The State Patrol said that shortly after 2 a.m. on Jan. 18, Noble, 58, of Seattle, made a U-turn in his Toyota Highlander and headed south in the northbound lanes on I-5 when he struck a Jeep Liberty. Leslie Workman, 26, of Oak Harbor, the driver of the Liberty, and 24-year-old passenger Lyndsey Jones of Seattle were injured along with Noble.

All three were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to the State Patrol report. Noble was the most seriously hurt and spent several weeks in the hospital, according to the Trooper Cliff Pratt.

The accident occurred near the onramp to Highway 18 in Auburn.

Pratt said Noble's name didn't immediately register with the troopers at the scene because his driver's license lists his legal name, "Russell S. Noble."

Witnesses told troopers that Noble was speeding before the U-turn and weaving in and out of lanes, Pratt said.

"We had a lot of witnesses who saw him pull over to the right shoulder and do a quick U-turn," Pratt said. "The State Patrol detectives advised him he was under arrest for suspicion of two counts, DUI and vehicular assault."

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office turned the case over to the state Attorney General's office to avoid a conflict of interest.

"We felt we had a conflict because our civil division provides legal advice to King County government and that of course includes the King County Assessor's Office," said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the prosecuting attorney.

Janelle Guthrie, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office, said the King County Prosecutor's Office referred the case for review of charges to Attorney General Rob McKenna's office on Thursday. The office is reviewing possible charges of drunken driving and vehicular assault.

Attempts to reach Noble by phone were unsuccessful and there was no answer at his Seattle home.

However, Noble's attorney, John W. Wolfe, issued the following statement:

"Mr. Noble was involved in an automobile accident in mid-January of this year. Since that time he has been recovering from injuries resulting from the accident. He is aware that the Washington State Patrol has investigated the accident."

The statement goes on to say that Noble has retained counsel and asks the media to direct further inquiries to Wolfe.

Workman, the driver of the other vehicle, said she and Jones were heading to Jones' home in Seattle after a night out when the accident happened.

She said her Liberty was destroyed in the head-on crash.

"We're lucky to be alive," said Workman, adding that both women suffered "a couple of broken bones."

Workman said that neither she nor Jones were aware that the other driver was an elected official. She said it wasn't until tonight, when she saw information about the crash on TV news, that she learned that Noble was the King County assessor.

Asked how she and Jones were doing now, she said, "We're both stable now."

Noble was first elected King County assessor in 1992. He was elected to his fifth term in November 2007 when he defeated Jim Nobles, 45, a supervisor at the Dutch Shisler Sobering Center, the county's detox unit.

In an earlier Times story, Noble, a retired Navy Reserve captain, was described as a man who cultivates an "I call 'em as I see 'em" image. According to the assessor's Web site, Noble has "implemented cost-effective and accessible technology improvements. The King County Department of Assessments has earned a reputation as one of the most open and transparent government agencies in the United States."

He helped lead successful challenges of two Tim Eyman-backed measures to limit property taxes: Referendum 47, passed in 1997, and Initiative 722, passed in 2000.

Noble is the second elected King County official in two years to come under investigation for alleged drunken driving. Councilmember Jane Hague was arrested in June 2007 after a deputy sheriff reported seeing her car being driven erratically on Highway 520.

Hague, who won re-election in November 2007, was sentenced last year to six months' probation.

Jennifer Sullivan: 360-236-8267 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times news researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report.