By Travis Uresk
4/9/24
| Duchesne County | March 20th, 2024 | DUI |
At around 3:00 pm, a call came into the 911 call center stating that 43-year-old Ryan Scott Larsen was currently driving while having been seen drinking a measurable amount of alcohol before he left.
The call was made by Ryan's 11-year-old son, a passenger in the vehicle.
Dispatch received a "play-by-play" of where Ryan was driving and relayed it to the responding officers. The 911 dispatcher could hear an ongoing struggle for the phone between the father and son. Ryan overtook his son, got the phone, and then informed dispatch where the two were parked and waiting for the police to arrive.
UHP Trooper Mikulich arrived on scene and witnessed Ryan attempting to get back into his running vehicle. Ryan ignored the trooper's commands to stop and exit the vehicle. Physical force had to be used to gain control over Ryan, trying to resist arrest.
Deputy Green arrived on the scene to perform the Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), which indicated that Ryan was impaired. During the test, Ryan couldn't maintain his balance and repeatedly put his hands in his pockets after being told to keep his hands to his sides and out of his pockets.
“Ryan struggled to focus on the tip of my finger when instructed. Ryan followed the tip of my finger with his head and not only his eyes as instructed to do so. I observed a lack of smooth pursuit on both sides of Ryan's vision. I observed Nystagmus at maximum deviation on both sides of Ryan's vision. I observed Nystagmus onset prior to 45 degrees on both sides of Ryan's vision. Ryan was unable to stay still when instructed not to move. Ryan repeatedly lost his balance and footing. Ryan was unable to understand instruction after receiving demonstrations various times on how to perform portions of the tests."
Ryan was taken into custody for DUI with a passenger under the age of 16. Ryan’s vehicle was searched and impounded.
During the search of the vehicle, open containers of alcohol were found. The 11-year-old boy was safe and left with a family member.
