An Idaho Falls driver was charged with driving under the influence as well as a number of other offenses after he crashed his vehicle into a local home. The incident occurred early on the morning of Saturday, June 26.
According to the details shared by the Idaho Falls Police Department, the incident began to unfold at around 2:20 a.m. on Saturday. An IFPD police officer was in the process of conducting a traffic stop. The officer stopped The Idaho Falls driver close to the intersection of South Holmes Avenue and 4th Street.
As the officer was about to exit the vehicle, he saw another vehicle rapidly approaching the patrol vehicle from the rear. This vehicle, which was identified as a red sedan, barely missed the officer’s vehicle before speeding away.
The officer immediately began a pursuit of the vehicle with the police lights activated. However, the sedan’s driver didn’t slow down and instead turned onto the John Adams Street. He continued to drive away from the officer’s vehicle, running a red light in the process. As per the IFPD officer’s report, the fleeing driver reached speeds of up to 80 miles per hour during the pursuit.
During the pursuit, the driver turned onto a residential street. This was when the officer lost sight of the vehicle and abandoned the pursuit. Sometime later, IFPD received reports of a vehicle crashing into a home on the 1300 block of 1st Street. As the officers reached the scene, the vehicle was the same red sedan which had been involved in the pursuit earlier.
Based on the witness reports and other evidence, IFPD was able to locate the two suspects who had fled the crashed vehicle. The suspects were identified as Jonathan Perez, 21, and Andres Montoya, 22. Perez was charged with misdemeanor DUI, felony eluding a police officer, and misdemeanor leaving a crash scene.
The penalties for these offenses are stiff under Idaho laws. In Boise incidents like these, it is possible to seek lower penalties with the help of a Boise DUI attorney.