clarinews@clarinet.com (01/13/90)
SEATTLE (UPI) -- Dale Ellis, the Seattle SuperSonics leading scorer, was arrested for alleged drunken driving after a one-car accident early Friday left him with two broken ribs and a collapsed lung. A team spokesman said Ellis, who scored 29 points Thursday in a 98-87 victory over Dallas, will be sidelined indefinitely. Lt. Hans Kwast of the Washington State Patrol said following the investigation of the 2 a.m. accident in downtown Seattle, Ellis was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. In Washington, drunken driving carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, and a minimum penalty of one day in jail and $250 in fines, plus court costs. The State Patrol reported the accident occurred as Ellis was driving from Mercer Street onto the Interstate 5 northbound on-ramp. His 1989 Mercedes Benz hit a metal barrier separating the main lanes from the express lanes, swerved into the express lane and hit a wood and metal control arm. Ellis, 29, suffered a collapsed lung and had blood in his lung, the State Patrol said. A nursing supervisor at Harborview Medical Center said Ellis in satisfactory condition Friday morning. A patrolman reported Ellis was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, which caused an estimated $20,000 in damage to his car. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff and Sonics President Bob Whitsitt declined comment on the latest in a string of problems for Ellis. Last June Ellis was fined $346 and placed on informal probation for a year after being found guilty of assaulting his wife and resisting arrest during a domestic dispute Jan. 8, 1989. According to King County records, Ellis also has had at least nine moving violations in the past three years, including three for speeding. Ellis scored 11 points during the winning stretch over the Mavericks Thursday. He hit 7 of 10 shots in the second half. In the first half, the Sonics shot just 35 percent from the field. ``I don't have an explanation for first half,'' Ellis said after the game. ``We had the shots, we just weren't getting them down. The defense got us back in the game. We wanted to pick up the tempo to start the fourth, and it worked.'' Earlier in the week, Ellis was ejected during road losses to Dallas and Houston.