Driver Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Wrong-Way DUI Crash on SR 520

The 25-year-old Tacoma man who police say struck another car in a fatal wrong-way crash on State Route 520 pleaded not guilty Thursday in King County Superior Court.

Michael Anthony Robertson, who broke an ankle in the April 4 crash, made the emotional plea on the charge of vehicular homicide after entering the Seattle courtroom in a wheelchair. He remains in jail on bail of $1 million, and faces a sentence of 6.5 to 8.5 years if convicted.

Robertson is accused of making a U-turn in the eastbound lanes of 520 and attempting to drive back to Seattle just before 5:30 a.m. April 4. Moments later, his Ford Explorer collided near the Montlake on-ramp with a compact car driven by 58-year-old Morgan F. Williams, who later died at Harborview. Williams, a 32-year employee of Eddie Bauer, was on her way to work in Bellevue.

The closing speed of the two cars - or combined velocity -- was estimated at 100 mph. Police say they found an empty bottle of whiskey in Robertson’s Ford Explorer SUV. Robertson was awaiting trial on another DUI charge in Pierce County at the time of Thursday's crash.

Robertson's next appearance in court is scheduled for May 23, a procedural step known as a case-setting hearing.