Cottonwood AZ (February 13, 2019) – On February 10, 2019, about 1:30 AM, a 17-year-old male teen was involved in a single vehicle collision. When deputies arrived in the 2200 block of Copper Drive in Cottonwood, they saw a black passenger vehicle resting on its side along the east section of the roadway-see photo. It is believed the vehicle may have rolled several times before coming to rest. The teen was standing across the roadway not wearing shoes or a shirt. He indicated his hand hurt and he suffered some scratches on his chest.
The teen told deputies his tires were bald and lacked proper inflation and thus he lost traction. During the conversation, deputies detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage. The teen denied drinking. The portable breath analyzer provided a reading of .153, almost twice the legal limit.
Deputies located a passenger who was in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The passenger admitted both he and the driver had been drinking before they began driving.
The teen was brought to the Camp Verde Justice Center and further sobriety tests confirmed he was impaired. At this point, he acknowledged drinking 5 beers before attempting to drive to the store. A breathalyzer test 2 hours later provided a reading of .105. The teen was eventually released to his mother pending a juvenile court hearing on charges including DUI, DUI Drugs (based on testing that showed THC in his system), and Underage drinking and driving.