Differing accounts in Lakewood police officer DUI crash report

LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- More details are coming to light in the case of a police officer in Washington state who was arrested for driving under the influence.

Lakewood police Officer Eric Bell was arrested in September with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit after crashing his patrol car in Gig Harbor.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports there are conflicting reports about whether Bell tried to stop a witness from calling police to report the crash.

The 46-year-old officer told Washington State Patrol investigators that he urged an elderly woman to call police after she found him crashed into the trees near her property, while the woman said that he told her not to report it.

Bell also drove the car with his son inside that day when he wasn't authorized to use it.

Bell couldn't be reached for comment.