By Abigail Henderson
WOODLAND – A man who allegedly ran a red light while intoxicated and collided with an oncoming vehicle within the intersection faced a preliminary hearing today.
On May 16, 2018, Dean Briggs allegedly drove while heavily intoxicated and collided with an oncoming car, causing the driver to develop blurred vision and an abrasion on his knee. The defendant, Mr. Briggs, is charged with felony DUI injury, driving while intoxicated, and refusal to submit to a blood test.
The first witness to testify today, Woodland Police Officer Ryan Bowler, was the officer on duty dispatched to the scene of the crash. He attested to the injuries he observed on the crash victim, as
well as on Mr. Briggs.
Four hours after the crash, Officer Bowler was then sent to the UC Davis Medical Center with a warrant for a test of Mr. Briggs’ blood.
The defense made sure to emphasize how the 4-hour time gap between the crash and Mr. Briggs’ blood testing could have affected the final results.
The next witness, Woodland Police Officer Olsen, testified to the actual movement of the cars within the intersection during the crash. The oncoming car was turning left and, as Mr. Briggs ran the red light, he crashed into the side of the oncoming car.
Officer Olsen also spoke of another witness who was a little south of the intersection and who affirmed his description of how the crash happened.
The defense argued that most of the sustained injuries were minor and requested a reduction of the charges to a misdemeanor.
Judge Timothy L. Fall denied this request due to the eye injuries sustained by the victim.
The arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2020.
