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Eagle County Cops: DUIs & skiing out of bounds

Cat and mouse game nets DUI bust

A deputy was driving on Interstate 70 at varying speeds April 13. The speed limit was 75 and the officer drove between 50 and 60 mph. He noticed a truck that would not pass him. The truck always stayed a ways behind the deputy, matching his speed.

The deputy exited the freeway and got back on so that he could investigate the truck from behind. He saw the truck weave onto the shoulder of the road as it went around some curves and he stopped the driver near Edwards.



The officer smelled alcohol when he talked to the 60-year-old driver, who said he had been camping. The deputy asked the man for his driver license and the man handed the officer a Mastercard. The deputy said he does not accept Mastercard and asked again to see a driver’s license.

The man seemed confused during the interaction. The deputy asked him to perform voluntary roadside sobriety tests, which the man failed. He was arrested for further investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. He took a breath test and was cited for DUI and failing to drive in a single lane.

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Driver assaulted on I-70

Deputies responded to a report April 18 that there had been an assault on I-70 and that a suspect might have a gun.

A 25-year-old man said his 22-year-old brother was riding next to him in the passenger seat of his car when they started arguing. He told his younger brother that maybe he shouldn’t be his best man at his upcoming wedding. The 22-year-old lost his temper and assaulted his older brother as they were driving.

The 25-year-old said his brother pulled his hair and punched him in the face 10 or 15 times. The 25-year-old slowed down and punched his brother back to get him to stop. The younger man did it again, punching him another 10 or 15 times until the 25-year-old hit him and pulled out his phone. The 22-year-old asked what he was doing and he said, “You just assaulted me while I was driving on the interstate.” The 22-year-old grabbed the phone and threw it out the window.

The 25-year-old pulled over about a mile east of Edwards. His brother got out, showed him a .45-caliber bullet and said, “Why don’t you come over to my house and I’ll put a bullet in your leg.”

The 25-year-old knew his brother sometimes carried a handgun and didn’t know if he had one then. He left him on the side of the interstate and drove to a store to call police.

Deputies asked him how he felt during the incident. The 25-year-old said he felt terrified. He didn’t want to be shot, didn’t want to die and didn’t want to get in an accident.

The officers found the 22-year-old at his house. The man denied any memory of the assault but admitted he threw his brother’s iPhone out the car window. He was cited for assault, menacing, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.

Busted out of bounds

Ski patrol caught eight snowboarders riding down a closed run on Vail Mountain April 19 and turned them over to deputies. The officers gave them a summons to court for violating the Skier Safety Act. The deputies noted that most of the snowboarders were more concerned about how long they would lose their ski passes next season.


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