An intoxicated driver of a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV), also known as a side-by-side, tried evading police last Saturday in the early hours of the morning. At approximately 3:00 am, an officer observed the UTV cross Highway 70 on 6th Avenue, heading north. The officer pulled behind the UTV and followed it for a few blocks. When the UTV turned right onto 3rd Street, it ran a stop sign at the intersection of 5th Avenue and increased its speed as though it was trying to evade the officer.
The UTV made a sharp turn near St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and rolled onto its driver’s side. As the officer approached the vehicle, he saw a man climb out the passenger side. The man ran east on the dirt road behind the church. The officer followed him in his patrol vehicle until the man veered off, running south toward the church parking lot. The officer pursued the man on foot, yelling for him to stop, and announcing himself as a police officer.
When the man got to the southeast side of the parking lot, he finally stopped and put his hands up. The man was placed in handcuffs. He told the officer that he thought his hand might be broken. The man admitted that he was the driver and said he had a friend with him in the UTV, who he climbed over him to get out of the vehicle. Officers searched the surrounding area but did not find the passenger.
The man’s blood-alcohol level was .141. After he was medically cleared at the hospital, he was booked into the Graham County Jail for Driving Under the Influence and Unlawful Flight from Law Enforcement. Information regarding the passenger was not immediately available.
