Wrong-way driver arrested on I-15 trying to hit other vehicles, UHP says
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comLEHI — A Midway man was arrested Wednesday after police say he drove the wrong way on I-15 for nearly 10 miles while intoxicated and appeared to be trying to hit other vehicles.
Maclane Erik Rash, 26, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of DUI, reckless endangerment and driving on the wrong side of the road.
About 12:35 a.m. the Utah Highway Patrol received a report of a car traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-15 near Lehi.
"It was reported that the vehicle appeared to be trying to hit other vehicles on the roadway and was traveling freeway speeds," a police booking affidavit states.
A trooper spotted the car traveling on the shoulder about 9 miles from where it was first reported and stopped the driver.
"I got the driver out of the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs. I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath," the arresting trooper wrote in the affidavit. "I asked Rash how much he had to drink, and he stated that he had been drinking.
"I believe that Rash put himself and others in a situation that could have caused serious bodily injury or death," the trooper concluded.
UHP Lt. Cameron Roden added that "witnesses reported that it appeared he was swerving at them. We are not sure how close he got at this point. We're still investigating this, and we will consult the county attorney's office on any enhancements to the charges."
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Pat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.