While much of the Colorado DUI news last month was focused around the state's holiday and New Year's enforcement campaigns, one particularly noteworthy incident occurred in Cedar City just before Christmas, when a local police officer pulled over and arrested two allegedly drunk drivers, in the same vehicle, after a high-speed chase.
According to local news publication Deseret News, the trouble began at around 6:15 p.m. on December 22, when an officer pulled over a woman on 138 S. Main Street and had her step outside for a field sobriety test. According to Cedar City Police Sgt. Jimmy Roden, while they were evaluating whether the woman had been impaired, her 31-year-old male passenger slid into the driver seat of the car and drove in "four small circles at a high rate of speed in the parking lot" before fleeing the scene.
The officers subsequently pursued the suspect through Cedar City, as the man drove through a number of red lights "in a reckless manner with little regard for the safety of other motorists," Sgt. Roden reported. As they were approaching 900 S. Main, the officers moved their cruiser in front of the man's car, in an attempt to prevent him from moving into any oncoming traffic. The suspect then crashed into the side of the police car, but had been moving "at a low speed at the time of the crash" so nobody was injured.
Meanwhile, the original woman who had been pulled over and tested for drunk driving had also tried to flee, fighting with police officers as she attempted to make her escape. Because both suspects had been under the influence and had driven the car, they were both arrested on charges of DUI, as well as disorderly conduct, interfering with an arrest and having open containers of alcohol in their vehicle.
If you've been charged with a DUI in Colorado, contact The Orr Law Firm right away. DUI charges can have accused motorists facing steep fines, a revoked license and even jail time, making it imperative to have the best legal counsel on hand to defend your case.