Military member accused of drunkenly rolling car down embankment, seriously injuring friend

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A 21-year-old man is accused of driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that left one person with serious injuries.

According to documents filed in the Platte County Circuit Court, Santiago Arredondo is in custody on one felony count of DWI resulting in physical injury. His charge stems from a crash around 3 a.m. on Friday, May 24, in the area of Hillview Road Circle and NW Jones-Meyer Road.

Platte County deputies were called to the scene and found a white Honda port had crashed into a hill and sustained significant front-end damage. Two people, including Arredondo, were already standing outside the vehicle, but a third was still in the back enger seat.

Court documents state that the rear airbags were deployed and covered in a “large amount of blood” from a cut on the victim’s left temple. He was taken to North Kansas City Hospital, where the deputy estimated he would need 20-30 stitches to repair the numerous “gashes” on his head.

At the scene, deputies learned that Arredondo and his engers had been in Westport — an entertainment district in Kansas City, Missouri — and were on their way back to Fort Leavenworth. Arredondo reportedly told the deputies that he was driving east on NW Jones-Meyer Road when he drove into a ditch and hit a tree, but he wasn’t sure of specific details.

It was later determined, however, that the car was headed west when Arredondo went off the side of NW Jones-Meyer Road and hit a concrete culvert. He continued across Hillview Road Circle before hitting an embankment and a tree, at which point the Honda rolled down the embankment and came to a stop in the westbound lanes of NW Jones-Meyer Road.

Deputies noted that Arredondo’s eyes were watery and bloodshot, and there was “a strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from his person.” Documents state that when asked, Arredondo said he had “a couple” drinks and rated his level of intoxication as an 8/10. He reportedly showed multiple indicators of intoxication during his DWI tests and had a preliminary breath test result of 0.154 percent blood-alcohol content (BAC).

Arredondo was arrested and taken into Platte County custody, where documents state that he later supplied a breath sample with a 0.157 percent BAC.

In his probable cause statement, a responding deputy noted that Arredondo’s alleged actions resulted in “serious injury to a friend and member of his miliary unit,” and Arredondo’s address is listed as being within Fort Leavenworth.

He is being held on a $20,000 bond with no court dates currently scheduled.

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