18-year-old jailed for DUI, drives wrong way on Carson City freeway with 2 teens on board
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Tue, 12/26/2023 - 11:37am
An 18-year-old man was arrested early Saturday for suspicion of DUI after driving the wrong way on I-580 with two 16-year-olds in the vehicle, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office booking report.
The Carson City man was taken into custody at 4:15 a.m. and booked for two counts gross misdemeanor child endangerment, DUI, minor consuming alcohol and reckless driving.
According to the booking report, Carson City Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched at 3:55 a.m. for a wrong way driver going southbound in the northbound lanes on I-580 near South Carson Street.
Deputies located the suspect vehicle driving in the northbound lane driving southbound, which then stopped in front of a deputy patrol vehicle facing southbound in the northbound lanes.
"If the vehicle were allowed to continue in the wrong direction on the freeway, the risk to both the occupants of the pickup and other drivers would be immense due to the speed limit on the freeway being 65 mph and head on accidents being one of the statistically most dangerous accidents to all parties involved, commonly resulting in serious injury or death to the vehicle occupants," the deputy wrote in the probable cause report.
The vehicle stopped facing southbound in the northbound lanes. A deputy approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver, who was advised to shut off the vehicle and hand the officer the keys, which he did, the report states. The officer asked the man where he was coming from. He advised he was coming back from a party and heading to Minden.
He was asked why he was on the wrong side of the freeway. He responded that he was "trying to merge with traffic." The officer observed the man had red watery eyes, slurred speech and slowed responses to simple questions and a moderate odor of alcohol emanating from his person.
When asked if he drank earlier in the evening, he denied drinking. The officer notes the driver had his 16-year-old sister and a 16-year-old friend inside the cab of the vehicle with him. He stated he was the only adult inside the vehicle thus responsible for the wellbeing of both juveniles because he was driving and out with both of them past curfew for both juveniles.
Based on the man's driving pattern and other signs of intoxication observed, he was asked if he would consent to standardized field sobriety tests. He agreed and showed signs of impairment on the tests. He provided a preliminary breath test of .289 and was arrested. Later at jail he provided evidentiary breath tests of .192 and .174. Total bail amount listed: $7,266.
In other arrests:
— A 60-year-old Reno man was arrested Sunday for suspicion of battery of a protected person. According to the booking report, deputies were dispatched to Carson Tahoe Hospital. A nurse wished to press charges on a patient who was highly intoxicated and hit her.
Deputies spoke with the victim and a witness who stated the man, who was in the emergency room, was being helped out of bed because he was highly intoxicated. The man hit the nurse with the back of his hand. As she attempted to move away, he hit her again. A person in the room witnessed the altercation.
The deputy attempted to speak with the man who was intoxicated and could not speak in full sentences. He was medically cleared and taken to the patrol vehicle in a wheelchair. He was booked for gross misdemeanor battery on a protected person Bail: $2,500.
— A 48-year-old Reno man was arrested Dec. 24 for suspicion of misdemeanor DUI, expired registration and no proof of insurance. According to the booking report, the man was stopped in the area of North Curry and West Washington streets due to expired registration. Deputies spoke with the man and could smell an odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle.
The man's speech was slurred and his eyes bloodshot. He was asked how much he had to drink. The man replied "the usual" and made a statement to the effect of his father being a cop and to not admit how much he had to drink. He was unable to provide a vehicle registration or insurance.
He agreed to field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment on the tests. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He provided a preliminary breath test of .300. He was booked for suspicion of DUI, expired registration and no proof of insurance. Bail: $1,946.
— A 29-year-old Carson City man, Lyle Benjamin Mills, was arrested Dec. 24, 3:53 a.m. for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), gross misdemeanor carrying a concealed pneumatic firearm, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of bail conditions.
— A 23-year-old South lake Tahoe woman was arrested Dec. 25 for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report, deputies responded to the area of Spooner Junction for a report of a female driver passed out at the wheel in the travel lane.
Officers arrived and observed the suspect vehicle, and a woman sitting in the driver's seat with her head tilted toward her stomach. A deputy knocked on the window but the woman didn't respond. The deputy knocked on the passenger window, where the woman lifted her head and turned her music down.
The officer could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. The woman had red watery eyes and was disoriented. She said she had a few mixed drinks at around 5 p.m. She was unable to locate her license.
She consented to standardized field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment on the tests. She was arrested for suspicion of DUI. She provided evidentiary tests of .172 and .181. Bail: $1,137.
— A 21-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Dec. 25, 2:36 a.m. for suspicion of DUI and failure to maintain a lane.
According to the booking report, a deputy observed a black Chevy SUV turning left in front of them, taking a wide turn and driving through the center lane and into the number 2 lane. The vehicle then swerved toward the number one lane and back into the number 2 lane, failing to maintain lanes. The vehicle then made a right turn on Imperial Drive, hitting the rear right tire on the curb.
The officer made a traffic stop and spoke with the driver, who appeared confused. She stated she had not had any alcoholic beverages and was on a prescription medication. She stated she was in Carson City but did not know where she was at. She agreed to field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment. She provided to a preliminary breath test with a result of .141. She was arrested for suspicion of DUI. At jail she provided evidentiary breath tests of .104 and .116. Bail: $1,137.
— Two were arrested for drug offenses Dec. 23, 1:05 a.m. for suspicion of felony drug offenses. Barbara Grigsby, 34, of Reno was arrested for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and an outside agency warrant.
A 41-year-old Sparks man, Niles Aaron Joseph, was also arrested for suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.
During the investigation, officers found found fentanyl weighing 5.6 grams in the center console, 7.3 grams of methamphetamine inside the woman's purse, 3.5 grams of fentanyl in the purse, a methamphetamine pipe, a tooter straw, and plastic bags used to package narcotics. Bail for Niles, $3,632 and bail for Grigsby, $5,750.
— All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.
