CEDAR CITY — Police in Cedar City investigated two separate incidents involving suspected DUI drivers crashing into parked vehicles early Friday morning.
The collisions both happened around midnight, with the dispatch calls being logged less than one minute apart, at 12:07 and 12:08 a.m. Nevertheless, Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow said there’s no connection between the two incidents, which happened nearly four miles apart.
400 North
In the incident reported shortly after 12:08 a.m., a woman driving a red Ford Focus reportedly crashed into the back of a parked Toyota sedan at 128 W. 400 North, pushing it into a white Chevrolet pickup truck, which in turn struck an orange utility trailer attached to a backhoe.
Ludlow said the woman had reportedly left a nearby bar while upset, sped around the corner and crashed, causing damage to the parked vehicles. The other vehicles were unoccupied, he added.
The woman sustained a wrist injury and was taken to the hospital for evaluation, but her injuries did not appear to be serious, he added.
The Ford driver was later cited for DUI and traffic violations and released, Ludlow said.
Shurtz Canyon Road
Meanwhile, at 12:07 a.m. officers were dispatched to an address near 1400 W. and 1650 South on a report of a hit-and-run crash involving a suspected impaired driver.
The crash involved a gray 2022 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck and a black Nissan Versa that was parked nearby on Shurtz Canyon Road.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the driver’s arrest, the reporting party said they heard the crash and had watched the Toyota driver leave the scene and go over to a nearby residence, at which point the driver got out and went inside.
Responding officers knocked on the door and questioned the man who answered. According to the affidavit, the man was “unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and glossy eyes.”
After being read his Miranda rights, the man reportedly admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol.
After doing poorly on field sobriety tests, the man was given a breathalyzer test, which indicated a blood alcohol level of 0.252, or more than 5 times the legal limit, according to the affidavit.
After being medically cleared at Cedar City Hospital, the man was then taken to Iron County Jail shortly after 4:30 a.m. Friday.
David Daniel Persha, 28, was booked into jail on suspicion of DUI (first offense in 10 years), a class B misdemeanor, carrying a weapon while under the influence, a class B misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, a class C misdemeanor.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials 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.
Photo Gallery
Parked vehicles that were damaged in a chain-reaction crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on 400 North, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Parked vehicles that were damaged in a chain-reaction crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on 400 North, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Parked vehicles that were damaged in a chain-reaction crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on 400 North, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Parked vehicles that were damaged in a chain-reaction crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on 400 North, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A parked Nissan Versa that was damaged in a crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on Shurtz Canyon Road, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A parked Nissan Versa that was damaged in a crash caused by a suspected impaired driver on Shurtz Canyon Road, Cedar City, Utah, April 5, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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