A Safford detective was traveling east on Highway 70 near 14th Avenue on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, when he noticed a yellow SUV trying to run a grey vehicle off the road as both vehicles were making a U-Turn on Highway 70. The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 PM and traffic was fairly heavy at the time.
The grey car pulled across the road into the turn lane to travel south on 14th Avenue and the yellow SUV cut in front of it, blocking its turn. The grey car managed to maneuver around the SUV and turn onto 14th Avenue, but the SUV followed and tried to go around the car in a no-passing zone. The grey car slammed on its brakes. The SUV also braked and nearly caused a third vehicle to collide with it. The SUV then made a U-Turn back toward Highway 70.
The detective pulled the SUV over and explained the reason for the stop. The driver told the detective that his girlfriend was in the other car and that he was trying to get her to stop so that he could talk to her.
According to the police report the driver’s clothes were dirty and in disarray. The smell of alcohol emanated from inside the vehicle. When the driver got out, he was slow, unstable, and had to use the vehicle for balance. The driver refused to cooperate with any DUI tests. He told authorities that he had been beat up the week before and couldn’t see out of one eye. He refused to identify himself. After police explained the point of law about not identifying himself to law enforcement, he gave his name and date of birth. When authorities conducted a background check, they found that the man had an extraditable warrant for his arrest out of Texas. The warrant was for a probation violation for DUI.
The man told authorities that he was diabetic and needed medical attention. While waiting for an ambulance, the man said that he needed to relieve himself. The officers told him he would have to wait, but the man dropped his pants and defecated by the vehicle.
The man was transported to the hospital for treatment for his diabetes. His blood alcohol level was .320 BAC. When he was medically cleared the man was booked into the Graham County Jail on the warrant.
