By ILY GOYANES
Special to the Independent
PORT ORCHARD — Twelve jurors have found David Kalac guilty of premeditated murder, and it would not come as a surprise to anyone who has read his long and checkered criminal history.
Kalac’s past is rife with clues.
Convicted on April 19 for the murder of his girlfriend Amber Lynn Coplin, Kalac’s criminal past dates to 1997, when he was a juvenile.
His arrests and convictions run the gamut from serious traffic offenses, such as DWLS, driving while license suspended; to several truly grave offenses that could have served as a portent of Coplin’s death, including death threats and domestic violence.
Court documents show that as a juvenile, he was charged with negligent driving, operating a motor vehicle after alcohol consumption, and assault, but that was only the beginning of a rap sheet which now lists close to 50 criminal infractions stemming from 18 different cases.
Regarding traffic violations alone, Kalac’s case history lists multiple incidents of driving while intoxicated, driving without a license, first degree negligent driving, and driving after illegally bypassing a court-ordered ignition interlock system, a device with a built-in breathalyzer, which requires that a person take and pass said breathalyzer test in order to turn the ignition and operate the vehicle.
The ignition interlock system was court-ordered due to a previous DUI conviction.
Such traffic offenses, though indicative of a disregard for road safety, only tell part of the story of someone with a history of long-standing substance abuse and repeated violent behavior.
Court records show that as a juvenile, he repeatedly broke the law and refused to comply with court-mandated consequences, including committing and being convicted of assault while on probation for a previous assault charge.
In 2011, as an adult, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, in a case in which a police officer observed Kalac attacking an older male outside of a 7-11 in Bremerton.
Witnesses told officers that Kalac was brandishing a knife and officers recovered one from him at the scene.
Perhaps the most glaring offense on Kalac’s long rap sheet comes from an arrest in 2014, just months before the murder of Amber Coplin.
In late March, Kalac was charged with harassment/death threat with a special allegation of domestic violence, when he punched ex-girlfriend, Jessi Foster, in the face, and threatened to kill her with a knife.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community custody, a form of probation.
Kalac’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 16 at 9 a.m. in Kitsap Superior Court.
