Man charged with DUI after accident injures 19-year-old
Jun. 27—A Lewiston man was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after allegedly driving head-on into another vehicle and injuring a 19-year-old.
Sammie J. White was placed under arrest after an accident that left 19-year-old Caleb Goeckner with multiple breaks in his legs and cuts and scrapes on his arms and head. Goeckner was conscious and alert when first responders arrived. He had been trapped in the vehicle for 45 minutes and was found "clutching a rosary necklace," according to the affidavit.
Idaho State Police and Nez Perce County Sheriff's Office responded to a two-vehicle accident at 3:20 p.m. Saturday on Webb Road. Law enforcement were providing medical attention to Goeckner, who was in a 1997 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla was off the roadway and had significant front-end damage. There was also a 2018 Toyota 4Runner in the middle of the roadway with significant front end damage, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Goeckner was extricated from the vehicle because his legs were pinned in the driver's seat.
There were no occupants in the 4Runner at the time, but a man and a woman who were in the vehicle were on scene and uninjured, later identified as White, 63, and Marla M. Uto. A severe rain and lightning storm entered the area and the trooper was unable to complete a sobriety test, including testing his walking and turning. However, White agreed to two alcohol breathalyzer tests, which were recorded at 0.103 and 0.109, with the legal limit being 0.08, according to the affidavit.
White allegedly told ISP that he fell asleep driving from Craigmont to Lewiston. He allegedly told the trooper he had two or three beers a couple hours before driving, according to the affidavit.
Later investigators spoke with two witnesses who reportedly said that White crossed the dividing line on the road and crashed head-on into the vehicle of Goeckner, who attempted to avoid the collision by braking and steering to the right. Skid marks found on the road allegedly matched the description of the witnesses.
Investigators also allegedly found an open and half-full Keystone beer can in the front passenger seat of the 4Runner, a tumbler cup with a strong alcohol smell in the passenger side floorboard and an open box of Keystone missing half the cans behind the passenger seat, according to the affidavit.
The date of the accident was White's birthday, June 24, according to the affidavit.
The trooper also went to the hospital where Goeckner was taken and was told of his injuries, including various broken bones in his legs, and was sent to another hospital, according to the affidavit.
White appeared Monday by Zoom before Magistrate Judge Victoria Olds at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison as well as a $5,000 fine. His next court date is July 10 and he hired Rick Cuddihy as his defense attorney. Bond was set at $30,000.
Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.
