PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT/PRESS RELEASE:
7/3/2023
Deputies of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office have been awarded a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant provided by the Texas Department of Transportation.
This STEP grant provides funding for additional MCSO Deputies to provide enhanced traffic enforcement from 6/23/2023 to 7/9/2023 this year on U.S. Highway 287 in Moore County, which can often become a dangerous highway due to sharp increases in holiday travel and intoxicated drivers during these times.
The STEP grant has been shown to reduce traffic fatalities and improve overall highway safety for all travelers.
Oftentimes, MCSO Deputies conducting traffic enforcement as part of this program are able to stop both intoxicated and reckless drivers, and in many cases, Deputies are able to uncover additional criminal offenses such as narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and wanted fugitives from justice while conducting STEP enforcement.
Recently, on Wednesday, 6/28/2023, at approximately 10:49 PM, a Deputy was out conducting STEP enforcement when he observed a white in color SUV traveling northbound at a high rate of speed. The Deputy was able to use his agency-issued radar speed detector, and observed that this vehicle was traveling approximately 88 miles per hour in a posted 35 miles per hour zone, causing highly significant danger to the public.
The Deputy initiated a traffic stop on this vehicle in the 100 block of N Dumas Avenue, during which time the driver of the vehicle refused to pull over, and continued traveling northbound at a high rate of speed. The Deputy began to pursue this vehicle, when he observed the driver of the vehicle crashed into the back of a semi-truck trailer that was also traveling northbound.
The Deputy then observed a suspect flee the scene of the crash heading westbound on foot. The Deputy pursued this suspect and was able to cut them off before exiting his patrol vehicle and giving the suspect verbal commands to surrender. About this time, another Deputy arrived on scene to assist. This suspect did comply with commands and was taken into custody without further issue.
Deputies were then approached by another suspect, who identified themselves as the driver of the vehicle that had evaded. Deputies took this suspect into custody as well, and determined that there were two suspects in the evading vehicle, and that both the driver and passenger of the evading vehicle had been taken into custody at this time.
Deputies called Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders to the scene to medically evaluate all parties involved in the crash. All parties were medically cleared. Both suspects refused EMS services, and no other parties were found to be injured from the crash.
Patrol Division Officers of the Dumas Police Department were called to work the traffic accident investigation, while MCSO Deputies worked the DWI and Evading investigations.
Further investigation by MCSO Deputies revealed that both suspects admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages prior to evading and crashing into the semi-truck trailer. Deputies on scene observed several indicators of intoxication of both the passenger and the driver of the suspect vehicle, and the driver agreed to provide a breath sample to have their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) examined for the DWI investigation. A Cactus Police Department Officer who possesses specialized training and is certified to operate special equipment designed to determine BAC was called to assist the MCSO Deputies with the DWI investigation.
The suspect driver’s BAC was found to be over twice the legal limit.
The suspect driver was charged with Evading in a Motor Vehicle and Driving While Intoxicated, while the passenger was charged with Evading Arrest/Detention and Public Intoxication. Both suspects were booked into the Moore County Jail without further incident.
The MCSO is thankful that no citizens, law enforcement officers or suspects were injured during the course of this incident. DWI cases often lead to death and/or serious bodily injury for all parties involved, both suspects and victims.
MCSO Deputies will continue to be conducting STEP enforcement activities for the duration of the time allowed by the grant.
MCSO wishes all motorists safe holiday travels, and a happy Independence Day!
We encourage all drivers to be responsible and not drive when they have been consuming alcohol and/or other impairing substances. It’s not worth getting hurt over, hurting someone else, destroying property or going to jail.