An intoxicated Texas man was arrested and jailed on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants and related offenses following two hit-run crashes that occurred within hours of each other on Thursday morning, according to state Trooper Brian Evarts.
The offending driver, William Christopher Latham, 45, of Houston, was discovered slumped over the wheel of a parked Jeep Wrangler on Route 405 not far from Route 442 in Muncy Creek Township, sometime after 11 a.m., Evarts said.
"When I spoke with him, he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath," Evarts said in an affidavit. The driver admitted that he was "involved in a couple crashes and that he was going to talk to the owners of the vehicles," the trooper said.
At the time Latham was located, the vehicle he was driving matched a Jeep Wrangler involved in one hit-run crash at Dunkin Donuts at Routes 405 and 442 as well as an earlier hit-run crash at Montgomery Street and Route 54 in Montgomery, Evarts said. Investigators determined he was the alleged drunk driver.
Following his arraignment the next day before District Judge Jon E. Kemp on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, two counts of accidents involving damage to unattended vehicle or property (hit-run) and reckless driving, Latham was committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.
