Find out how what began as a three-vehicle smashup in Lents unraveled into an apartment building crash, a staggering 0.556% BAC, and brief jail time for a local school counselor – until released on bail …
In this three‑vehicle crash on June 11, 2026, on SE 92nd Avenue near SE Knapp Street in the Lents neighborhood this Toyota Tacoma comes away with lighter damage than the Subaru Outback in the crash. East Portland News archive image
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
What began as a troubling multi-vehicle crash in outer East Portland last summer has unraveled into an alarming pattern of extreme, repeated impaired driving incidents across Multnomah County.
June Lents crash: A quick recap
On Thursday evening, June 11, 2026, emergency crews responded to a three-vehicle chain-reaction collision at SE 92nd Avenue and SE Knapp Street in the Lents neighborhood.
According to Portland Police Bureau investigators, a red 2015 Subaru Outback rear-ended a Toyota Tacoma pickup with enough force to deploy airbags and push the pickup into a Ford Escape.
The street is blocked for a couple of hours while officers investigate the crash and arrange tows for the three damaged vehicles. East Portland News archive image
The driver of the Subaru, 61-year-old Joni L. Clayton of Portland, was cited for Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII), Careless Driving, and an active Benton County arrest warrant. Court records later revealed her blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) during the Lents crash was 0.24%—three times Oregon’s legal limit.
Read our original June reporting with full photo coverage: CLICK HERE.
September wreck: Car mounts curb, slams into Woodstock apartments
With dry pavement, bystanders wonder how this Subaru Crosstrek SUV skids across the sidewalk and crashes into a newly constructed apartment building in the 4800 block of S. E. Woodstock Boulevard on September 13, 2026.
Just three months later, on Sunday evening, September 13, 2026, police responded to another crash involving Clayton—this time in the Woodstock business district.
Officers dispatched to 4805 S.E. Woodstock Boulevard found a brand-new Subaru Crosstrek that had mounted the curb, driven across the sidewalk, grazed the newly constructed Modera Woodstock apartment building, and slammed directly into the structure. The crash caused an estimated $50,000 in structural damage.
Seen from behind, the Subaru Crosstrek clearly smashes a retail storefront window before coming to a stop against the newly constructed Modera Woodstock apartment building. A PPB officer documents the crash.
Clayton was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and cited for DUII and Reckless Driving.
Startling court disclosures: 0.556% BAC and a pattern of extreme collisions
As court proceedings progressed in Multnomah County Circuit Court following the Woodstock crash, prosecutor disclosures revealed startling details about Clayton’s background and driving history:
- Staggering BAC level: Over two hours after slamming into the apartment building, Clayton registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.556%—more than seven times the legal limit of 0.08%. Medical personnel noted that a BAC at this level is frequently fatal.
- School counselor on paid leave: 61-year-old Clayton, is employed as a school counselor at Happy Valley Elementary School earning $111,463 annually. The North Clackamas School District placed her on paid administrative leave pending due process.
- Three severe alcohol crashes in 18 months: Prosecutors revealed a pattern of dangerous driving:
- April 2025: Struck a fence with a 0.492% BAC and subsequently failed court-ordered rehabilitation.
- June 2026: Caused the three-vehicle Lents smashup with a 0.24% BAC.
- September 2026: Crashed into the Woodstock apartments with a 0.556% BAC.
Once again, Clayton is taken from a crash by ambulance.
Additional violations
Clayton was driving while her license was suspended and without a court-required ignition interlock device. She was also on active probation for telephonic harassment.
During her arraignment, Deputy District Attorney Noah Berg argued that Clayton posed an extreme threat to public safety. Rejecting a defense request for electronic alcohol monitoring, Presiding Judge Jane Fox noted that an ankle monitor cannot physically stop an impaired person from getting behind the wheel.
Out on bail
Judge Fox set bail at $50,000 and remanded Clayton into custody. She was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on October 13, 2026, where she was briefly lodged. Court records confirm that Clayton was released on bail on October 17, 2026, four days after her initial arraignment.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
