An Arizona man is facing drunk driving and related charges after an incident that police say occurred in Cottonwood the day after Christmas. A Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputy claims that he observed a truck swerving while heading out of the city. The deputy says that the truck was going 80 miles an hour in a 55 mph zone, and that when he turned on his flashing lights, the driver initially slowed down, but then accelerated, hit a guard rail, and was eventually discovered at the site of a barricade blocking a closed roadway.
When police arrived, there were four people at the location where the truck was stopped. They included a man, two teens, and a six-year old boy. It was reported that the man smelled of alcohol, and although he denied he was driving, he has been charged with a host of offenses in addition to drunk driving, including the following:
- Unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle;
- Reckless driving;
- Criminal damage (the result of one of the collisions along the way); and
- Three counts of endangerment, one for each of the alleged passengers.
These may seem like minor charges, but they are not. Unlawful flight is a class 5 felony. Criminal damage where the amount of the damage is $1,000 or more is a felony. And endangerment can be charged as a felony where there is a substantial risk of imminent death.
Equally as important, the man faces aggravated DUI charges. Aggravated DUI can be the result of several different factors. In this case, it is alleged that the man was driving with a minor passenger under the age of 15, which is a class 6 felony. Finally, the report claims that the man’s driver’s license, at the time of the incident, was revoked as the result of a prior DUI. That charge is a class 4 felony.
We are obviously the early stages of the case, and therefore cannot venture any opinion on the possible outcome. It nevertheless demonstrates the ramifications of driving under the influence. In this case, there are two DUI charges, both of which are felonies, as is the unlawful flight charge. Add in the additional counts of criminal damage, endangerment (times three), and reckless driving, and you have the makings of serious consequences that could include, in the event of a conviction, being sentenced to years in prison.
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Phoenix, AZ 85004
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