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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An 18-year-old was arrested Tuesday for investigation of DUI after police say he drove on the wrong side of the road and nearly collided with a Utah County sheriff’s deputy patrol vehicle.
Just after midnight Tuesday, Payton Christensen was southbound on the northbound side of the Pony Express Parkway, officials from the Utah County Sheriff’s office said in a news release.
A deputy was driving northbound on the correct side of the road when he saw Christensen driving toward him. To avoid being hit, the deputy drove onto the median between the divided roadway, according to police.
After driving past the deputy, Christensen stopped and the deputy spoke to him. Christensen slurred his speech and “had difficulty walking,” officials said in the news release.
Authorities said Christensen failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for investigation of possession of alcohol and tobacco by a minor, having an open container and driving on the wrong side of the road, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Utah’s 4th District Court.
Test results showed Christensen’s blood alcohol content was at .084%. Separate tests found THC, amphetamine and methamphetamine in his system, according to the affidavit.
Christensen allegedly told the deputy he had "just finished smoking two bowls" of marijuana, the news release stated.
Christensen, of Saratoga Springs, was booked into the Utah County Jail about 2:20 a.m. and was later released, according to jail records.
