Oregon State University women’s basketball assistant coach Krista Reinking was cited on May 6 for allegedly driving drunk and crashing a Jeep into the back of a parked vehicle in Philomath.
Reinking, 34, was cited for driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, resisting arrest and improper use of 911.
Oregon State director of athletics Bob De Carolis had this statement Wednesday: “We are aware of this incident and are looking into it.”
A release Wednesday from the Philomath Police Department stated that police responded to a motor vehicle accident with injury at about 2:20 a.m. on May 6. A blue Jeep driven by Reinking had crashed into the back of a parked Chevy Tahoe in the 200 block of North 13th Street. Reinking was the only person in either vehicle. The Tahoe did not sustain major damage.
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Officers noted that Reinking showed signs of intoxication. She was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
Philomath police got a search warrant to draw a blood sample from Reinking, and she reportedly resisted and was restrained. She also called 911 on the emergency line. Reinking was cited and released after the blood draw was completed.
The Gazette-Times attempted to contact Reinking for a comment and was asked to direct questions to her lawyer, John Rich.
Rich said Reinking has “been under a great deal of stress recently and as a result she made some poor decisions on May 6. We will address those actions in court.
“We are very disappointed in the unprofessional manner in which this was handled by the Philomath Police Department. They were so focused on their criminal investigation that they forgot that they were dealing with a human being. As a result, they caused a bad situation to go from bad to worse.
“Releasing this information to the press prior to allowing her or her attorney to have access to the reports is yet another example of their lack of professional courtesy. In addition, (on Wednesday) they insisted on harassing Ms. Reinking at work to reissue a citation despite a request from me to contact her through my office.”
Philomath Police Chief Ken Elwer said Reinking was treated for injuries from the crash and released. He didn’t know whether she’d been wearing a seat belt.
Reinking originally was cited to appear in Philomath Municipal Court on June 1, but will appear at a later, yet-to-be-determined, date.
Reinking just completed her fifth season with the OSU women’s basketball program. She coaches guards for the Beavers and was a two-time all-Big Ten selection at guard while playing at the University of Illinois. She’s coached players such as Mercedes Fox-Griffin, Talisa Rhea, Brittney Davis and Casey Nash.
Reinking played under OSU coach LaVonda Wagner, who was then an assistant at Illinois.