Man arrested after crashing car onto concrete road barrier in Cape
Officers with the Cape Coral Police Department were dispatched to the intersection of Santa Barbara Blvd., S., and Cape Coral Parkway, E., just after 9 p.m., Saturday, May 9, for a single-vehicle crash. Dispatch advised officers that a white vehicle had struck a concrete barrier at the intersection.
The CCPD report states that what when officers arrived on scene they observed a white Honda Civic resting on top of a concrete barrier. Witnesses directed officers to the driver, and as officers approached the man, he began running east on Cape Coral Parkway. Officers gave multiple commands for him to stop, but the man refused to comply. Officers caught up to him and took him into custody before escorting him back to the crash scene.
The driver was identified as James Taylor, 32, who police identified as a transient of Cape Coral. Officers discovered Taylor was carrying a bottle of rum while running from the crash scene.
Two separate witnesses at the scene told police they saw a white vehicle hanging over the barrier on the south side of the roadway. Both witnesses told officers they saw Taylor exit the vehicle and described him as wearing a blue long-sleeved fishing shirt, which matched the clothing Taylor was wearing when officers detained him. The witnesses also stated they observed Taylor run from the crash scene as officers arrived.
A third witness provided officers with dash camera footage of the crash. The video reportedly showed the white Honda Civic traveling south into the intersection and failing to negotiate the turn to travel eastbound on Cape Coral Parkway before crashing into the barrier.
While speaking with Taylor, officers said they detected a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. The man also displayed watery, glassy eyes and slow, slurred speech. Once the crash investigation was completed, officers began a DUI investigation and Taylor agreed to participate in Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises.
Based on the investigation, Taylor was arrested for DUI. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a multicolored metal scoop inside his wallet. The scoop contained a white powdery substance that field tested positive for cocaine.
Taylor agreed to provide breath samples, which resulted in readings of .156 and .166.
Taylor was charged with DUI (.15 or higher), two counts of DUI with property damage, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, resisting an officer without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia, and transported to the Lee County Jail.