Less than 90 minutes into the new year and a 20-year-old Stafford man caused a crash due to him being under the influence.

On January 1st at approximately 1:24 a.m. while many people were Ubering home after bringing in the new year, Deputy S.A. Edwards was responding to the intersection of Poplar Road and Mount Olive Road for an auto accident. The caller advised it was a head on crash.

When Deputy Edwards arrived, he observed two vehicles with serious damages. It was determined the at fault vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic. The victim did not have enough time to respond, had their vehicle struck, and spun off the roadway into a telephone pole. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The at fault driver advised he was traveling home and did not see the other vehicle. He also admitted to consuming “one or two” Corona’s prior to driving. After noticing several signs of intoxication and conducting field sobriety tests, Deputy Edwards took the driver into custody. It was also discovered the driver was convicted of DUI in 2022.

The driver was charged with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content above .2. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

In this new year we encourage everyone to drive safe and drive sober.