Casper Police Arrest Two For Drunken, Reckless Driving Crashes
Two people were arrested Monday after separate crashes believed to be the result of drunken and reckless driving, respectively.
Hailey Nicole Koschene, 29, was booked into jail on an enhanced DUI charge.
Charles Jonathan Peters, 31, was taken into custody on charges of reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Koschene was arrested after police responded to the Walmart on Second Street for a report of a traffic accident at about 5:30 p.m. Initial information indicated a grey Honda went through a stop sign in the parking lot and hit a parked Ford Ranger.
Koschene, the driver of the Honda, was reportedly trying to leave the scene.
When an officer arrived and spoke with her, Koschene claimed she had been entering the parking lot and had to swerve out of the way of a vehicle that ran a stop sign, causing her to hit the Ford. Koschene reportedly could not identify the stop sign to which she was referring, and did not know what type of vehicle caused her to swerve.
Security footage of the incident showed Koschene did not swerve to miss any vehicle, according to a police affidavit. She was traveling at a high rate of speed, police say, and hit the back of the Ford.
As the officer spoke with Koschene, he could smell alcohol on her breath. She reportedly performed poorly on standard field sobriety tests, and was arrested for DUI.
A breath test at the Natrona County Detention Center reportedly showed Koschene's blood-alcohol concentration to be .168, which is over twice the legal limit to drive.
Arrest paperwork indicates Koschene was convicted of DWUI within the past five years, hence the enhanced charge in connection with this incident.
Roughly two and a half hours earlier Monday, two police officers were called to an address on Columbia River Road for a report of an accident with injuries. The woman who called police said the driver involved was bleeding from the face and head, and that he left the scene.
An officer arrived and found the driver -- Peters -- on Quivera River Road. He was bleeding from the forehead and nose, and said he hit his head on the steering wheel of his truck. He immediately admitted to driving the truck which hit a parked Chevrolet Suburban, according to the affidavit.
Peters refused medical treatment, and did not appear to be intoxicated.
Charging papers say another officer dealt with Peters earlier that day at Express Employment, where Peters allegedly caused a disturbance and refused to leave. The officer involved in that incident was able to convince Peters to leave without incident, and Peters drove off in the same truck involved in the crash on Columbia River Road.
Peters spoke with police and reportedly said he was extremely upset over the incident at Express Employment, which caused him to "drift" around a corner and lose control. He then hit the parked Suburban.
Peters believed he was going about 15 mph at the time of the crash, and said he did not leave the scene, but was instead headed home to get his insurance information. However, he added that he was planning to leave Casper for Arizona in less than a week.
Witnesses said after Peters crashed the truck into the Suburban, he got out and tried to push the truck. When it wouldn't move or start, Peters then walked away.
Based on damage to both vehicles and roadway evidence, police believed Peters had been driving in a manner "which constituted disregard for the safety of persons and property," and at a rate of speed "well over" 15 mph.
Peters was cleared at Wyoming Medical Center before being taken to jail. Police do not believe that alcohol was involved in the crash.