Puyallup man charged in drunken driving wreck that killed his wife
A Puyallup man who crashed his Jaguar while allegedly driving drunk has been charged with vehicular homicide for the death of his wife, who was in the car.
Jeffrey Lepley, 50, has not been arraigned.
His wife, 52-year-old Trisha Lepley, was killed in the wreck.
Although he was arrested immediately after the July 14, 2019, crash, a toxicology report did not come back until March.
Charging papers give this account:
Jeffrey Lepley was driving eastbound in the 6900 block of Pioneer Way East when he over-corrected after crossing the center line around a curve. His 2004 Jaguar skidded sideways through a guardrail, down an embankment and landed upside down.
Investigators said he was driving faster than the 35 mph speed limit.
Pierce County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene and found the Jaguar wiith the couple still inside.
Trisha Lepley was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jeffrey Lepley had a laceration on his ear and was taken to Tacoma General Hospital.
He told deputies he didn’t remember the crash and had been drinking prior to the wreck, records say.
Firefighters noted he smelled of alcohol.
A toxicology report came back showing his blood-alcohol level was 0.19 percent, higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 9:45 AM.
