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- A Riverton man, Jaxon Wood, 18, was charged in a fatal Tooele crash.
- Wood allegedly drove 85 mph in a 65 mph zone while impaired.
- A 16-year-old passenger died; neither occupant wore seat belts, police said.
VERNON, Tooele County — A Riverton man was arrested over the weekend and accused of driving drunk and causing a fatal crash in the Rush Valley area of Tooele County.
Jaxon Douglas-David Wood, 18, was booked into the Tooele County Jail and charged on Monday in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony; reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor; plus DUI, being an alcohol-restricted driver, consuming measurable amounts of alcohol by a minor, marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
About 2:45 a.m. Sunday, Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on state Route 36 involving a pickup truck.
"It appeared that the truck had left its lane of travel and veered off the side of state Route 36. It appeared that the truck had rolled and ejected both occupants of the vehicle," a police booking affidavit states.
A 16-year-old boy who was a passenger was pronounced dead at the scene despite lifesaving efforts. Wood said he had been driving, and troopers immediately noticed signs of impairment, the affidavit states.
"He had very slurred speech and struggled greatly to balance," according to the affidavit. "Jaxon stated that he had been traveling from a bonfire party where he had (consumed) a couple of beers."
A preliminary portable breath test measured Wood's blood-alcohol content at 0.18%, or more than three times the legal limit for a person 21 or older, the affidavit alleges.
"Jaxon had admitted to driving 85 mph in that area, which is a 65 mph zone. Driving at high speeds in the dark on a two-lane highway while drunk is reckless driving behavior," troopers noted. "Officers investigating the crash informed me that open alcoholic containers were found in the debris field of the crash. Investigating officers also informed me that due to the evidence on scene, they believed that neither occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash."
The name of the victim has not yet been released.
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