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The weekend of recreation and summer celebrations ended with more than 200 traffic closures in Coconino County and 65 people imprisoned.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said it was able to respond to a “significant increase in incidents” over Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of the summer season.
Part of that increase was due to dangerous driving of the kind of vehicles that people love to crash in the summer sun. CCSO responded to seven off-highway vehicle (OHV) incidents over the weekend alone. The accident grounded more than 70 of his OHV drivers, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) focused on communicating safety information to all drivers, from four-wheelers to sand rails. CERT has set up an information checkpoint on Forest Road 240 near Manns Park for that purpose.
Meanwhile, the CCSO has partnered with officials from the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the Arizona Game and Fish to strengthen forest patrols.
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Where the pines and cedars end and the water begins, the officers are equally busy. From Friday to Sunday, lawmakers contacted 80 vessels in Arizona’s waterways. They are responding to and investigating two different boat-related collisions.
In addition to the surge in outdoor activity, CCSO reported an overall spike in service calls. In just three days, we responded to 993 calls.
Twelve people were arrested after 82 people were stopped for traffic violations and police made 221 traffic stops.
Five drivers were arrested over the weekend for driving while disabled, according to a deputy field report. One of them is now facing serious DUI charges after being stopped for speeding on Lake Mary Road. The CCSO said two children under the age of six were not detained in the vehicle.
In four other cases, the average driver was tested at concentrations almost double the legal limit after driving drunk. According to a report compiled by the CCSO, the suspect’s average breath alcohol concentration was 0.140 BrAC.
Arizona’s legal limit is 0.08 BrAC.
The sheriff’s office received a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety that specifically applies to drunk driving enforcement ahead of the holiday weekend. CCSO said the grant was used to fund equipment and overtime to strengthen patrols over Memorial Day weekend.
Sierra Ferguson can be reached at sierra.ferguson@lee.net.
