By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man was recently arrested after police say he crashed into a power line and fled the scene on foot.
Kevin Chavez Cerna, 25, was taken into custody Feb. 21 after officers responded to a report of a vehicle that had gone off the road and struck a power line.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, the impact knocked the line down and caused more than $5,000 in damage, the affidavit states.
Officers arriving in the area were told the driver had run from the scene. Cerna was located nearby and taken into custody a short time later.
During the encounter, officers reported a strong odor of alcohol allegedly coming from Cerna, along with slurred speech and glossy eyes. Because of the crash and the conditions at the scene, standardized field sobriety tests were not performed, but officers wrote they had sufficient cause to believe he had been driving under the influence.
Court documents also note Cerna was found with only one shoe on, which was later located inside the vehicle.
A records check showed Cerna has one prior DUI conviction within the past 10 years. The affidavit also notes several other DUI cases are pending, including one filed as a felony.
Cerna was booked into the Iron County Jail on suspicion of felony property damage for the downed power line, along with driving under the influence, two class A misdemeanors for a second offense within 10 years, and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving property damage.