Deputies of the Ada County Sheriff’s office have arrested a driver for hitting a teen in a DUI accident. The driver has been charged with aggravated DUI for hitting Kuna teen. The accident took place back in early September but the arrest was made now. The driver responsible for the accident is Joseph Jefferies, 70.
On September 2, a Kune teen Sunshine Bryden was walking down a marked crosswalk with her dog when the crash happened. Jefferies hit Bryden and her dog with his car. The sheer impact of the hit threw the teen and her dog nearly 70 feet down the road.
Bryden sustained a number of injuries as a result of the hit. Her neck broke, although she avoided a serious neck injury. She also broke her leg at multiple places. Bryden was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was treated. She is now on her way to a full recovery.
Jefferies was tested for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) right after the crash. The results showed his BAC level to be at 0.096%. The County Sheriff’s deputies have now apprehended Jefferies and charged him with aggravated DUI.
Aggravated DUI is a felony in Idaho. In contrast to a standard DUI charge, aggravated DUI is typically leveled when a DUI driver’s negligence results in great bodily harm or death of another individual.
The penalties for the felony DUI charge are a lot harsher than those for regular DUI. These include a jail time of up to 15 years, with a minimum mandatory jail time of 30 days. The exact prison time is up to the judge’s discretion and depends on the circumstances of a given case.
In addition, the offender can be fined up to $5,000. The guilty drive also faces a license suspension of 1 to 5 years after the expiration of the prison sentence. The court may further require the driver to pay civil damages to the victim.
If you need help with a DUI conviction, our lawyers can help you. Call us today!