High speed chase in Teton County leads to DUI arrest
Published at
TETONIA — An apparent drunk driver in Teton County allegedly led police on a chase exceeding 100 miles per hour before crashing his vehicle.
Braxton K. Chávez, 19, has been charged with one count of eluding a police officer, one count of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and one count of possession of an open container in a motor vehicle.
Just before 1 a.m. on Monday, deputies from the Teton County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle on Idaho Highway 33 traveling at 114 mph in a zone marked 65 mph, court documents report.
Deputies turned on their sirens and pursued the Chevrolet Camaro. According to documents, pursuing deputies accelerated to over 100 mph in an attempt to catch up to the vehicle, but the speeding vehicle continued to pull away, and deputies lost visual contact with it.
Dispatch alerted deputies to a Chevrolet Camaro that appeared on cameras at the junction of ID-32 and ID-33 shortly after deputies had reported the speeding vehicle.
Deputies reportedly ceased pursuit after losing contact with the vehicle, but were notified of a crash near 9100 North 3000 West in Tetonia. Deputies arrived to find the crashed Camaro “within a relatively close distance” to where they had lost visual contact with the car. The crashed vehicle had a matching license plate to the one seen by dispatch just prior.
Upon arrival, deputies met Chávez and observed alcohol containers strewn about the scene of the crash. Chávez was reportedly asked why he had fled from deputies, and he said he was coming from Victor, admitted to “driving a little too fast,” and claimed he had not seen the deputies’ lights.
Court documents state Chávez’s breath results were .131 BAC and .117 BAC. The legal limit for an underage driver is 0.02 BAC. Chávez was immediately placed under arrest.
If found guilty, Chavez could face up to six years in prison and may pay a fine of up to $52,000.
Court records show Chavez has not yet retained an attorney or appointed a public defender.
Chavez is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 22.
Although Chavez has been charged with this crime, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.