A 22-year-old Cape Coral man faces charges of driving while drunk and killing a woman and injuring a driver in a crash.
Around 1 a.m. Sunday, the Cape Coral Police Department responded to a report of a crash at a home on Beach Parkway West, where law enforcement found a Chevrolet Colorado pickup flipped on its side, a Chevy Silverado nearby according to a police report.
Officers pulled a female passenger out of the Colorado, who was then declared dead less than 30 minutes later.
The driver of the Colorado sustained broken ribs and a broken back, and he was taken to the hospital.
There were two witnesses who saw the crash and called 911. The witnesses told officers that they saw a white male climbing out of the driver’s side window of a blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
The male was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Janson, the police report states.
Janson “appeared to be very frustrated with the accident,” and told authorities that he just recently purchased the pickup after working very hard. He told officers that the victims’ car was backing out of a driveway and did not have any lights on.
Officers made note of Janson’s slowed and slurred speech, as well as his eyes being droopy, watery and bloodshot, all of which are “consistent with intoxication.”
Janson’s emotions also fluctuated, with him randomly crying and then returning to normal demeanor, the report states.
Janson had a passenger in his car, who also “seemed very confused about how the accident occurred.”
After officers obtained video footage from a nearby home, Janson said he had consumed a few beers and smoked marijuana around 4 to 5 hours earlier.
He also had an “impaired perception of time and distance,” thinking that it was around 9:30 p.m. and that the crash site was just a few houses from his own. Police reported that it was around 2:57 a.m. and the crash site was several miles from his home.
Janson initially declined to a breath test, but agreed to perform multiple field sobriety tests. Based on his inability to properly complete any of the five sobriety tests, officers deemed that Janson’s demeanor was indicative of a person under the influence of alcohol or substances and placed him under arrest.
Janson provided a breath sample that gave a result of a 0.149% blood-alcohol content, which is nearly double the legal limit of 0.08%.
Janson was charged with DUI manslaughter, DUI causing serious bodily injury, DUI causing damage to another person’s property, DUI having BAC of 0.15 or higher with a person under 18 in vehicle and refusal to submit to DUI testing.
He is to appear in court for an arraignment on March 23.
Tayeba Hussein is a breaking news reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at thussein@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral 22-year-old faces charges of killing woman, driving drunk
Reporting by Tayeba Hussein, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
