ST. GEORGE — A driver was arrested Sunday after he crashed his pickup truck into the center median on Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Arizona. Previous to the crash, a call to 911 reported a reckless driver, and several witnesses on the scene after the fact corroborated the report.
Just before 11 a.m MST, noon MDT, Arizona Highway Patrol was notified to be on the lookout for a black Ford pickup truck after a call to 911 reported a possible reckless driver weaving in and out of southbound traffic, Trooper Tom Callister said.
The caller told dispatch he was following the pickup at the time of the call and had been doing so since Exit 27 when he noticed the driver weaving, Callister said.
“He (the driver of the pickup) was also seen weaving between both shoulders of the interstate, almost hitting several other vehicles according to the witness who called dispatch,” he said.
The truck continued for nearly 10 miles before the driver crashed into the concrete median near milepost 16.9 while officers were still en route to the area.
“The truck was completely destroyed and disabled, with both driver’s side wheels ripped from the truck,” Callister said, “and actually we found one of the wheels almost a half of a mile down the road.”
As troopers were questioning the driver, they observed “signs and symptoms of being impaired by drugs,” Callister said. The man told them he was coming from St. George and was on his way to Mesquite, Nevada.
Combined with the driver’s behavior and statements from several witnesses who stopped and spoke to the troopers, the 33-year-old man was taken into custody and booked into the Mesquite Detention Center in Nevada for suspicion of driving under the influence.
“We had multiple witnesses stop and tell us this guy was all over the road,” he said.
Southbound traffic was impacted for more than 45 minutes, and the inside lane was blocked by the truck smashed into the median, where it remained until it was towed from the scene.
The driver told officers he was uninjured in the crash and was checked by EMTs at the scene, but he declined transport to the hospital.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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Finally! It’s good to hear that AHP took someone into custody who was endangering other people on the road. I have called 9-1-1 in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada a number of times, and only once did an officer respond and locate the vehicle (in Mesquite). Unfortunately, the driver was not in his vehicle, so he wasn’t held accountable, either. It’s so frustrating that making a report of dangerous drivers doesn’t seem to get results from the highway patrols. So glad it did this time. Thank you, witnesses, for being willing to help in the prosecution.
Driver probably heading to Mesquite to get reloaded on legal Marijuana….High times ahead here in Utah, and even more dangers ahead on the roadways
This seems to be more of an alcohol problem. No one drives like that on POT ! Are you one of those who thinks that POT is the same as Heroin and Cocaine? Ignorant!