SALT LAKE CITY – A man was booked into jail for driving under the influence and for causing an accident involving property damage Friday after he allegedly hit a stopped vehicle with enough force to propel that car into the back of school bus that was loading students.
According to a statement of probable cause from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, police responded on report of a crash involving three vehicles, including a school bus, in the area of 3167 South 700 East.
Witnesses report a bus was stopped to load students and that another vehicle was stopped behind the bus. A gold SUV in the same lane did not stop, and it struck the other vehicle—pushing it into the back of the bus.
A press release from the Unified Police Department states the driver of the car that was hit suffered minor injuries but did not require transport to a hospital. There were two children, a bus driver and a school aide on the bus–none of whom were injured.
The driver of the Toyota fled the scene, but a witness followed the vehicle into Salt Lake City and contacted police—who were able to locate and arrest the driver, identified as 48-year-old Timothy Scott Moon. The man was arrested in the vicinity of 465 South 700 East.
The officer who contacted Moon stated he could see and smell signs of impairment, including slurred speech and bloodshot eyes as well as an odor of alcohol. The man initially denied being in the crash, telling the officer he had damaged his car while camping.
When the officer asked again why the man left the scene of the crash, the man reportedly stated that he didn’t know but should have stayed. He also told the officer he had drunk four beers prior to driving.
The officer asked the man to submit to a field sobriety test, but Moon replied he, “does not like to do that song and dance,” according to the PC statement.
The man eventually submitted to a breathalyzer test, and he blew a 0.228, which is above the legal limit of 0.08. The man was arrested for DUI in 2011, according to the press release from UPD.
