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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- An 18-year-old in Tooele County was arrested and accused of causing a fatal crash.
- Jaxon Wood was arrested for investigation of automobile homicide, DUI and reckless driving.
- A 16-year-old boy died in the crash; police say Wood’s blood-alcohol level was 0.18%.
VERNON, Tooele County — An 18-year-old man was arrested over the weekend and accused of driving drunk and causing a fatal crash in the Rush Valley area of Tooele County.
Jaxon Douglas-David Wood was booked into the Tooele County Jail for investigation of automobile homicide, DUI, being an alcohol-restricted driver, speeding, consuming measurable amounts of alcohol by a minor, failing to wear a seat belt, failing to stay in a single lane, marijuana possession, possession of tobacco my a minor, reckless driving and possession of drug paraphernalia.
At about 2:45 a.m. Sunday, Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on state Route 36 involving a pickup truck.
“It appeared that the truck had left its lane of travel and veered off the side of state Route 36. It appeared that the truck had rolled and ejected both occupants of the vehicle,” a police booking affidavit states.
A 16-year-old boy who was a passenger was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts. Wood said he had been driving and troopers immediately noticed signs of impairment, the affidavit states.
“He had very slurred speech and struggled greatly to balance,” according to the affidavit. “Jaxon stated that he had been traveling from a bonfire party where he had (consumed) a couple of beers.”
A preliminary portable breath test measured Wood’s blood-alcohol content at 0.18% or more than three times the legal limit for a person 21 or older, the affidavit alleges.
“Jaxon had admitted to driving 85 mph in that area, which is a 65 mph zone. Driving at high speeds in the dark on a two-lane highway while drunk is reckless driving behavior,” troopers noted. “Officers investigating the crash informed me that open alcoholic containers were found in the debris field of the crash. Investigating officers also informed me that due to the evidence on scene, they believed that neither occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.”
The name of the victim has not yet been released.
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