WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — A man who police say is responsible for a crash that killed two motorcyclists last Sunday in southern Utah has been arrested on suspicion of automobile homicide, driving under the influence, and other pending charges.
On April 3 around 4:20 p.m., a car driven by 47-year-old John Brett Sartor crossed into the oncoming lane on Old Highway 91 near Gunlock and collided with a motorcycle.
Two people were on the bike, and they both died from their injuries. Officials said they were both wearing helmets.
According to an arrest report, medical first responders could smell alcohol while preparing to take Sartor to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries. Police also noted that his license was revoked for alcohol offenses, he has been arrested twice in the past for DUI, he was on parole, and he was an "alcohol restricted and interlock restricted driver." There was not an interlock device in the car he was driving, police said.
Sartor was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where police obtained a warrant and drew a blood sample.
He was booked into jail after he was released from the hospital on Saturday. He faces two 2nd-degree felony charges of automobile homicide, a 3rd-degree felony of DUI, and three misdemeanors for driving with a revoked license and breaking alcohol restrictions. He was ordered to be held without bail.
Court documents obtained by FOX 13 News show that Sartor pleaded guilty in February 2021 to driving under the influence in Taylorsville in July 2020. He received a prison sentence of "an indeterminate term of not to exceed five years." It is not known at this time when he was released.
His arrest came on the same day as the suspect in another double-automobile-homicide case was booked — in the same county. Julie Ann Budge, 47, is accused of hitting and killing two bicyclists Saturday afternoon while driving under the influence of fentanyl.
Then on Sunday, officials announced that 47-year-old Russell Garcia died from injuries he sustained when his motorcycle collided with an SUV early Thursday morning in Draper.
