SPRINGVILLE, Utah, April 4, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A Mapleton man is being held in the Utah County Jail without bail after police say he intentionally hit a man with his car and then drove away during a drunken road-rage incident.
Police say Edward James Haisten, 54, was involved in a road-rage incident with another driver Saturday evening on State Route 51 in Springville, later ran over the man and then fled the scene.
Haisten had a blood alcohol level of .210 — more than four times Utah’s legal limit — when he was arrested at 5:55 p.m., according to a probable cause statement filed by Springville police.
Police said a road-rage incident that started on SR-51 escalated when the sedan Haisten was driving made an abrupt right turn from Center Street and headed south on 200 East. The sedan was quickly followed by a Toyota Tundra “that appeared to be trying to catch up to the speeding vehicle,” the statement reads.
A few minutes later, police got a call from the driver of the Toyota, who reported a hit-and-run.
Police say the Toyota pulled over on 100 East just north of 200 South, and the driver got out of the truck.
“When he saw Haisten driving toward him, he walked toward Haisten’s vehicle, thinking Haisten was going to stop,” according to the probable cause statement. “Haisten did not stop, and the Toyota driver was struck by Haisten’s vehicle.”
The extent of the of the man’s injuries was not immediately available.
Springville police later located Haisten’s vehicle, which had a broken windshield from the hit-and-run, and arrested him without incident, according to the statement.
“Haisten had the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting form his breath, and he related to officers that he was trying to swerve around the Toyota driver when the Toyota driver struck his windshield,” police stated.
Police said Haisten performed “poorly” in field sobriety tests and the chemical breath test indicated a .210 BAC. The legal limit in Utah is .05.
Police say a check of Haisten’s criminal history revealed he’s had more than two DUI convictions in the past 10 years.
His driver’s license also had been revoked for an alcohol offense, and he’s required to have an ignition interlock device in any vehicle he is driving, according to the probable cause statement. The vehicle Haisten was driving belongs to his mother, police said, and did not have an interlock device.
Police arrested Haisten for investigation of aggravated assault, driving under the influence with prior convictions, reckless driving, driving on a revoked license, interlock restricted driver driving without device, and alcohol restricted driver driving with alcohol in system.
