Burney man arrested after DUI hit and run

BURNEY, Calif. — Authorities arrested a Burney man who allegedly fled the scene of an accident that left a traffic sign as well as vehicle parts and debris scattered across SR-299E, east of Hatchet Summit, late Monday evening Aug. 10.

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CHP officers and Shasta County Burney Station deputies were dispatched to the area shortly before midnight, after receiving multiple reports of a car that lost control, careened off the roadway, and struck a directional traffic sign. The impact sheered the large sign at its base and tore off part of the vehicle’s front bumper, causing heavy front-end damage to the car.

Authorities arrested a Burney man who allegedly left the scene of a crash that destroyed a traffic directional sign along the first set of sweeping curves on SR-299E, heading away from Burney toward Hatchet Summit. Robin Montgomery/SCNS photo

One 911 caller reported that after the collision, the driver stopped momentarily to check on damage to his vehicle, described as a silver Kia sedan. According to the witness, the man then got back into his car and left the scene without removing the destroyed sign or vehicle parts and debris from the roadway.

Another 911 caller told emergency dispatchers they had almost struck the destroyed sign and vehicle debris left in the westbound side of the winding, two-lane mountain highway and that they had already gone back and removed the debris, so it would not cause a second accident.

That caller also reported that after moving the destroyed traffic sign and vehicle parts from the highway, they located the driver who hit the pole about a mile and a half further up the mountain toward Hatchet Summit. According to the witnesses the man had pulled off the roadway and was working on repairing his vehicle, which had become disabled and could not go any further.

Callers also reported the driver – who did not appear to be injured – was belligerent and appeared to be intoxicated; and described the man as having an unsteady gait and smelling of alcohol. They also said the man declined help from several witnesses who stopped and offered him aid.

Deputies who reached the scene first began searching for the vehicle, eventually locating the heavily-damaged car being slowly driven back toward Burney about a half-hour after the 911 calls that brought them to the area.

Deputies conducted an investigatory traffic stop and detained the driver without incident. A CHP officer who arrived a few minutes later assumed the investigation into the hit and run.

Officials found the alleged hit and run driver trying to get back to his residence, after he reportedly struck a traffic sign and left the area without reporting the crash. Robin Montgomery/SCNS photo

The man, whose name has not yet been released, told officers that although intoxicated, he had left his home because he was having a heated argument with his wife and daughter and he wanted to diffuse the situation before it became worse.

Although the driver claimed to have not struck the directional pole and claimed to have hit a different pole as he was leaving his residence, CHP Officer Ogden told SCNS that evidence left at the scene of the crash, including parts of the vehicle’s front end and destroyed sign which were left in the roadway, indicated the man had struck the sign before leaving the area without reporting the crash.

While interviewing the driver, Ogden determined the man was under the influence of alcohol and a preliminary alcohol screening administered at the scene indicated he was more than twice the legal limit of .08% BAC.

Based on his investigation, Ogden arrested the driver on suspicion of DUI and hit and run. Due to Covid-19 related booking restrictions and overcrowding at Shasta County Jail he then drove the man home and released him with a citation.

The man’s wrecked car was later towed from the scene and impounded and Cal-Trans was notified regarding the damaged sign.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.

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