Driver in fatal crash cited for alcohol in system

[thedrifter]

August 13, 2003

Driver in fatal crash cited for alcohol in system

Associated Press


JACKSONVILLE, N.C. ? The driver of a Humvee with 10 Marines inside that struck a bridge abutment has been cited for having alcohol in his system while operating the vehicle, authorities said Tuesday.
Jacksonville police charged Pfc. Joshua Dienethal on a count of having alcohol in his system while operating a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, according to the citation.

Three Marines were critically injured when a Humvee traveling Sunday morning into Jacksonville it ran off the road and struck the right side of a bridge.

Dienethal, 19, was last reported in stable condition at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital.

The conditions of the other three still hospitalized have improved. Pfc. Christopher A. Leider, 20, was in good condition Tuesday at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville. Pvt. Scott T. Hawn, 26, and Pvt. Raymond S. Aiken, 19, were listed in serious condition at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington.

Six other Marines were treated for injuries and released Monday.

Jacksonville deputy police chief Sammy Phillips said the investigating officer interviewed Dienethal right after the accident.

?There was an odor of alcohol noticed? on the driver, Phillips said. It?s against the law for someone under 21 with a provisional license to have any alcohol in their system or odor of alcohol on their breath, Phillips said.

No other charges had been filed Tuesday. The alcohol content in Dienethal?s blood at the time of the accident wasn?t yet known. The officer collected a blood sample from Dienethal for an alcohol test, but the results may not available for several days, Phillips said.

Dienethal is assigned to Camp Geiger, a training base adjacent to Camp Geiger. The other Marines were students at the School of Infantry at Camp Geiger.






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Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.

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