SPANISH FORK, Utah, Nov. 29, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A Payson man’s blood alcohol level was more than four times Utah’s legal limit Saturday when he crashed into a horse and rider during a Spanish Fork parade, police said.
Police say Dionicio Vasquez, 57, was driving a maroon Acura CL 3.0 about 7 p.m. when he ignored officers’ instructions to stop at a temporary barricade set up for the Winter Lights Parade at 850 N. Main.
Vasquez then drove south along Main Street, causing people who had gathered to watch the parade “to jump out of the way to avoid being hit,” according to a probable cause statement filed in 4th District Court.
Vasquez came to a stop near 300 North, where he hit a horse, causing its rider to fall to the ground, Spanish Fork police said. The male rider was treated for minor injuries at the scene, police said.
The horse was limping following the crash, but the extent of its injuries was unknown, police said.
Police say Vasquez had “red glossy eyes, dry mouth and slurred speech” as he sat in his car and refused officers’ commands to open the door, according to the affidavit.
Vasquez later unlocked his door and was taken into police custody.
“Officers saw open containers of alcohol in the vehicle as they spoke to Dionicio,” court documents state.
The arresting officer said he smelled alcohol on Vasquez and noted the man had “very poor balance and very slurred speech.”
Police say Vasquez consented to a breath test, which produced a 0.228 result. The legal limit in Utah is 0.05.
He was charged Tuesday with:
- Reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor
- Negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a class A misdemeanor
- Driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, a class B misdemeanor
- Open container/drinking alcohol in a vehicle, a class C misdemeanor
- Failure to obey an officer/firefighter/flagger/crossing guard, an infraction
Vasquez was booked Saturday into the Utah County Jail, with bail set at $2,500.
