Man facing more than decade in prison for alleged drunk driving crash that seriously injured woman
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POCATELLO — A man is facing more than a decade in prison after police say he crashed his pickup into a woman and vehicles in the parking lot of a south Pocatello bar and grill.
Kraig McGee, 67, of Pocatello, was arrested for felony aggravated drunk driving following the 9:30 p.m. Thursday incident at The Sand Trap on Bannock Highway. Police said that McGee’s blood-alcohol content was well above the .08 percent legal limit at the time of his arrest.
The woman who was struck by McGee’s pickup has been identified as Avelinda Garza, 32, of Pingree. She was seriously injured and her pelvis was broken in multiple places.
Garza’s currently being treated at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she was airlifted after initially being transported by ambulance to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.
Garza was walking in the parking lot when McGee got into his pickup and tried to leave. Police said he struck her and two parked vehicles.
Multiple Sand Trap patrons witnessed the incident and reported it to police.
Police responded and arrested McGee without incident.
Officers at the scene described Garza’s injuries as non-life threatening but once she arrived at PMC it became apparent she was seriously injured and she was then airlifted via emergency helicopter to the University of Utah Hospital.
If convicted of aggravated drunk driving, McGee faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $5,000 fine and the loss of his driver’s license for five years.
He’s currently being held at the Bannock County Jail.
As of noon Friday a condition update on Garza was not available from the University of Utah Hospital.
This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.