The Cortez Police Department arrested four people earlier this month for allegedly driving under the influence, all in a span of three days.
Around 10:32 a.m. on March 14, Officer Kadan Sharp responded to City Market regarding an alleged hit and run where the driver was suspected of being intoxicated.
The victim, Jennifer Martin, told Sharp she had been crossing the intersection at North Harrison and East Main Street when her car was struck by a white Ford truck that ran a red light while driving eastbound.
After the truck hit Martin’s car, it drove through the City Market parking lot and through the Front Row Seat parking lot before fleeing the scene, according to police.
Carmen Phelps, who witnessed the incident, told police she had approached the vehicle, but the man told her he was leaving. Phelps told officers that the man’s speech was slurred.
Police received a report around 4 p.m. that the suspect’s truck was at Sonic. Sharp and Officer Charles Osborne made contact with the man, who identified himself as Warrenell Cuch.
Dispatch informed Sharp and Osborn that Cuch’s license was revoked and he had three prior DUI convictions. Both Cuch and his passenger, identified as Debedell Whiteman, appeared to be intoxicated, according to the officers.
Once the suspects vacated the vehicle, officers found several small shooters of alcohol in the truck. Some were open, while others were still sealed.
In total, officers found a total 21 unopened shooters.
Cuch was arrested and booked in the Montezuma County Jail for DUI and other related charges.
That same day, Officer Vance Carver arrested a man identified as Chad Damron for DUI after he was found asleep in his car at the Super Splash car wash.
After Carver successfully woke Damron up, Damron told Carver he had consumed “a few beers” before falling asleep in his vehicle. Carver also found two glass pipes with residue on the center console and a cannabis dispensary container on the dashboard.
An empty bottle of vodka and an empty bottle of Fireball Whiskey were also found on the floor.
After consulting dispatch, it was discovered that Damron had a revoked license and a restraining order, which states he is not to be in possession of alcoholic beverages or controlled substances such as cannabis.
Damron was arrested, and police subsequently found more empty bottles of alcohol inside.
At the jail, Damron’s blood alcohol level came out to be 0.176, according to police.
On March 15, Cortez police Det. Victor Galarza, who was off-duty at the time, reported a blue and gray truck that was speeding and driving “all over the roadway.”
After following the vehicle for a few minutes, Carver, Sergeant Traci Mueller and Officer Jason Giacchino pulled the vehicle over.
Carver said the driver, who was smoking a cigarette, acted as if he were reaching for something as Carver approached. The driver, who was identified as William Sullivan, said he wasn’t reaching for anything.
Carver observed a spilled bottle of beer behind the driver’s seat and another open can on the front passenger seat.
Once Sullivan exited the vehicle, Carver found a cannabis pipe on his person. The beer bottles in the vehicle were found to be Telluride Brewing Temper IPAs, which had an alcohol volume level of 6.4%.
Sullivan was arrested and taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital after saying he would do a voluntary blood draw. Once at the hospital, however, Sullivan said he didn’t want the test, according to police.
He was booked at the jail, where his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.134, according to police.
On March 16, Officer Brady Veach was responding to Four Corners Chiropractic for a business alarm when he came across a red 2004 Chevy Blazer, driven by Aliah Stevenson, on the south side of the business’s parking lot.
As Veach walked closer to the car, he said he could smell cannabis coming from the open window where passenger Carlisa Jumbo sat, adding that Stevenson’s eyes were glassy and bloodshot.
After providing officers with contradicting stories of what had happened, Stevenson reportedly failed field sobriety tests before coming back with a blood alcohol level of 0.164. Officer Trevor Robertson also found six or seven empty 750 milliliter bottles of alcoholic shooters and four 750 milliliter bottles of unopened shooters.
Stevenson was arrested and booked at the Montezuma County Jail.
