He Swore He Was Fine, The Test Proved Otherwise
In this powerful episode of Alpha Responder Network, host Kent Shelley rides with Deputy Mondaca of the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office on a day that never slows down. From a fully engulfed vehicle fire on Highway 95 to a violent crash involving a family with kids and a high performance drag boat rig, viewers see how fast things can go wrong and how quickly deputies must assess injuries, calm scared victims, and hold impaired drivers accountable.
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Kent opens the ride along by explaining that this is his first time with Deputy Mondaca, and there has barely been a moment to breathe. Calls have been coming back to back. As they finally roll camera for the intro, dispatch sends them to a car fire at Highway 95 near Golf Course Drive. A vehicle is fully engulfed, but the driver has made it out safely.
On scene, Mondaca talks to the driver who explains that he was just driving when the engine blew, smoke poured out, and the car suddenly caught fire. He had recently done a clutch job and suspects something overheated near the aftermarket exhaust. Fire crews work a stubborn blaze that takes longer than anyone expects. Mondaca documents the incident, assigns a case number for insurance, and explains that the loss of the vehicle falls on the owner. Once traffic is safe and the tow is arranged, they clear the scene. Kent calls him a hero and the two share a quick, light moment before the radio sends them to the next crisis.
The tone shifts when they arrive at a serious collision involving a Porsche towing a drag boat and a family in a Chevy Tahoe. The road is scattered with debris. Mondaca moves quickly, checking first on the older man who had been driving the Porsche. The man insists he is not hurt and hands over his license. Another deputy explains that witnesses saw him flying past them at over 100 miles per hour.
Mondaca then checks on the family. The mother says she was just driving forward when someone hit them from behind. The children are shaken, bleeding from glass, and one boy clearly cannot stand on his injured leg. Mondaca gently helps him sit, checks his pain, and brings them water while fire and medical units respond. He collects identification for both drivers and passes early witness statements to the investigating agency.
As details come together, deputies learn that the Porsche driver told someone he was “hauling gas” when he lost control. His story to Mondaca keeps shifting. He stumbles through basic questions about direction of travel and where the boat race had been held, only vaguely answering that he was going to Pomona after races at the river. He admits to having two vodka cranberry drinks and also admits he has not eaten since the previous night.
Mondaca begins standardized field sobriety checks, focusing first on the driver’s eyes. The man struggles to follow the deputy’s finger, moves his head, and shows signs that something is off. Mondaca notes red, watery eyes and wobbly balance. Outside, with wind and dust, he cannot smell alcohol clearly, but he is concerned enough to ask for a preliminary breath test to determine if the driver is safe to operate a vehicle.
The driver reluctantly agrees. Mondaca instructs him to blow through the device like a balloon until it clicks. The result is 0.195. In Arizona, that level is considered extreme. Mondaca decides to arrest him for DUI. He walks the man carefully to the patrol vehicle, aware of how unsteady he is, and explains the numbers in simple terms. The legal threshold is far below where he tested. The man is nearly double that point and has just crashed into a family with children on board.
Back at the vehicle, Mondaca searches for items before booking, reminds the driver that bringing anything illegal into jail is a felony, and talks to him plainly about the risk he created. He tells him that embarrassment is natural, but the real issue is the danger he caused to the kids and everyone else on the road. This is why they take impaired driving so seriously. The episode ends with the driver seated in the back of the patrol unit, lights flashing in the background, and Kent’s camera capturing the weight of a decision that could have turned tragic.
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Disclaimer: All individuals depicted in this video are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This video is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
