Summit County police blotter: Breckenridge’s sidewalks become HOV lane for drunk designated driver
jmoylan@summitdaily.com
A selective sight seer
At about 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11 Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Climax Mine, on Colorado State Highway 91, near mile marker 13, for a report of a trespassing in progress.
While en route to the scene deputies were told a Climax Mine security guard located a green Subaru Outback parked about 20 feet away from the Number 12 gate of the mine.
The vehicle was not occupied, the guard told authorities.
Upon their arrival, deputies witnessed a man walking out of a ravine on the Climax Mine property. The security guard confronted him and asked the man why he did not obey the “no trespassing” signs. The man replied he didn’t see them and that he was only there to take photos of the mountains, according to police reports.
The security guard replied that the man must have passed at least 13 “No public access beyond this point” signs on his walk down to the ravine. Deputies walked the stretch of Colorado State Highway 91 between the Number 12 gate and the man’s route to the ravine and confirmed “there were numerous ‘no trespassing’ signs,” reports stated.
At the request of the Climax Mine guard, the man was issued a summons for third-degree criminal trespass.
Is that the texting talking?
At approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 Dillon Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Tenderfoot Street and Colorado State Highway 6 when a gray Honda sport utility vehicle was seen weaving in and out of the oncoming lane.
Upon first introductions, the 42-year-old female behind the wheel admitted to police officers that she had consumed two glasses of wine before attempting to drive, according to police reports. When officers asked the driver if she thought two glasses of wine were enough to impair her ability to drive, she said “no” and that her weaving was the result of her trying to send text messages on her phone while driving.
Noticing the tell-tale signs of an inebriated adult, including slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol, officers asked the woman to undergo voluntary roadside maneuvers, which she agreed to and failed, according to police records.
Upon failing roadsides, the woman was asked to consent to a portable breath test, which she also agreed to. The results came back with a blood alcohol content of .167 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
Officers then transported the woman to Summit County Jail where she was booked in on suspicion of careless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Designated driver takes a detour
At about 2 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies initiated a traffic stop in the 500 block of South Park Avenue in Breckenridge after witnessing a car driving on the sidewalk.
The vehicle was seen exiting a parking lot in the vicinity of 600 S. Main St. before traveling northbound on the sidewalk on the east side of Main Street. Deputies watched as several pedestrians were forced to leap out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, according to police records.
Upon their initial interview with the 20-year-old driver, deputies came to discover that the woman behind the wheel was the designated driver for several passengers in the vehicle. When asked how she came to be driving on the sidewalk, the woman responded, “I know I f****d up and shouldn’t be driving. I almost hit that guy. I’m sorry,” according to the report.
When asked to undergo roadside maneuvers, the driver agreed, but stated she had no chance of passing them. When deputies confirmed the driver’s own assessment of her intoxication, they asked her to take a breath test. The results of that test showed the woman had a blood alcohol content of .137 percent.
The woman was then booked into Summit County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence per se and reckless driving.
— Joe Moylan
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