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Deputy observes wild drunken driver whip through stop sign

ROBERT ALLEN
summit daily news

SUMMIT COUNTY – A deputy serving as back-up to a harassment call in Dillon Valley one recent night caught an apparently drunken driver ripping wildly through a neighborhood intersection.

The Geo Prism was “traveling at a high rate of speed” as it approached a four-way stop adjacent to the parking lot where the deputy was standing.

The vehicle “locked up its brakes, causing the tires to produce a loud screeching sound,” according to a report from Summit County Sheriff’s Office.



Two cars were already stopped at the intersection, and a pedestrian was crossing.

“The (Prism) slid out of control into the intersection approximately 6 feet, it then rapidly accelerated,” according to the report.



The Prism sounded like it red-lined the RPMs as it disregarded right-of-way to the other vehicles and pedestrian. The driver failed to use a turn signal in performing the left turn.

The deputy pulled over the Prism, and the male driver had the “odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage” emanating from him, according to the report.

The man’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his voice slurred and he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. He was unable to locate his vehicle registration or proof of insurance.

He said he’d been drinking beer at a friend’s house. The man tried to perform roadside maneuvers, but he gave up during the “one leg stand,” asking the deputy to stop the test because, “I can’t do it,” according to the report.

The man was booked on six charges including drunken driving, no proof of insurance, careless driving, failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to signal a turn.

Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.


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