CEDAR CITY — A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of DUI after the car he was driving crashed into a tree in Parowan Canyon on Wednesday evening.
The front end of a wrecked Subaru catches fire after its driver crashed into a tree in the Yankee Meadows area of Parowan Canyon, Utah, Aug. 7, 2024 | Reader submitted photo, St. George News / Cedar City News
Shortly before 8 p.m., Iron County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a report of a single-car collision on Yankee Meadow Road.
The vehicle, a silver Subaru Impreza, had crashed into a large tree and had started a small fire in the vegetation at the base of the tree.
The two occupants of the vehicle were reportedly able to exit the car on their own. A witness later told officers he saw the driver get out and toss a beer can into the bushes.
The driver was identified in charging documents as Alex Don Hicks. He faces one count of driving while under the influence and one count of possession of alcohol by a minor, each a class B misdemeanor.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, Hicks told responding deputies that he had been drinking.
“The driver, Alex Hicks, immediately told me once I arrived on scene he was drunk and it was his fault as he had been drinking,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit.
“I observed Alex having bloodshot eyes, with the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his person,” the statement alleges, adding, “Alex was unable to maintain his balance, and could not stand without assistance.”
Neither Hicks nor the unidentified female passenger appeared to have any serious injuries, the Sheriff’s Office said.
After evaluating both occupants at the scene, Gold Cross Ambulance personnel transported Hicks to Cedar City Hospital, where he consented to a blood draw before being taken to Iron County Jail to be booked.
Responding agencies included Brian Head Public Safety, Brian Head Fire, Parowan Fire Department, Parowan Police, Utah Highway Patrol and Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
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.
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