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Midland Co. Sheriff's Vehicle Hit by Drunk Driver
Midland Co. Sheriff's Vehicle Hit by Drunk Driver 8/20/12
schilders@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News
August 20, 2012
MIDLAND, TX - Two Midland County deputies are lucky they weren't hurt after a crash over the weekend with a drunk driver.
Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter tells CBS 7 the deputies were lucky enough to swerve out of the way at the right time to avoid a head-on collision, but that didn't save their vehicle.
21-year-old Jairo Neptali Santos-Turcias was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with a DWI after crashing into a Midland Co. Sheriff's vehicle.
Santos-Turcias was driving southbound on Midkiff on the I-20 overpass at 1:50 a.m. Sunday when he swerved into on-coming traffic and hit the Midland Co. vehicle.
The crash broke the axle of the car and put a hole in the fuel tank.
Sheriff Painter says Santos-Turcias was so intoxicated he couldn't stand up to do a sobriety test, and a breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol level was double the legal limit.
This arrest comes as the Midland Co. Sheriff’s Office says there’s been an increase in the number of DWI arrests for out-of-state drivers.
Santos-Turcias was born in Honduras, but has a New York driver's license and is in West Texas to work in the oil field.
The Midland County Sheriff's Office will have additional officers on the streets through September 5th in an effort to raise awareness about the consequences of drinking and driving.
It's apart of a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation that allows additional officers on the roadway.