Oregon woman dies; Tulalip wrong-way I-5 driver booked

ARLINGTON – A 28-year-old Oregon woman died Sunday after a collision with a Darrington driver who was going the wrong way on I-5.

Aaron Gentry, 56, of Tulalip reportedly was northbound in the southbound lanes of I-5 a mile north of Arlington when the accident occurred at about 4 p.m., a Washington State Patrol news release says.

Five vehicles ended up being involved. There were also three injuries. WSP suspects drugs or alcohol were involved. Gentry was booked into the Snohomish County Jail in Everett.

Two vehicles collided head-on, rolling over and landing on the cable barrier. Three other cars were struck by debris. Miriam Robinson of Albany, Ore., a passenger in the car that was hit head-on, died. The driver, Dorajean Wyne, 30, also of Albany, Ore., was injured, along with a juvenile in the same car. Both were transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

Angela Harrell, 40, of Arlington; Lisa Alvarez, 51, of Camano Island and an unidentified juvenile were driving the other three vehicles and were not injured.

According to The Daily Herald, the SUV was going north at more than 100 mph, witnesses told the WSP. Six miles later, the Ford crashed head-on into a white Toyota Corolla.

A judge Monday set bail at $500,000.

Gentry has been convicted of driving under the influence four times — in 1981, 1992, 2003 and 2016. His license has been suspended since March for reckless driving, police reports say.

Because of his history, he was required to have an ignition interlock in his car — a kind of breathalyzer that wouldn’t let him drive after drinking. But there was no such device in the Ford, according to troopers. Court records show the vehicle was registered to Gentry’s daughter, 31.

At the hospital, Gentry reportedly asked troopers where he was. He had no idea how he ended up on I-5, or why he even left home.

Troopers booked Gentry into jail for investigation of vehicular homicide, driving without an ignition interlock and driving with a suspended license.

Ken Robinson, the father of the woman who was killed, said his daughter, Miriam, was an incredible person who was deeply loved by her family.

“This wasn’t just some accident,” he said, through tears. “This is a person who has habitually been driving the streets of Washington drunk, putting people in danger.”