Police say drunk driver caused two hit-and-runs while missing wheel

Police say William Bridges, 57, of Bakersfield, had a blood alcohol level that was nearly 4.5 times the legal driving limit when he took a joyride through Bakersfield May 1, causing a pair of hit-and-run crashes, all while missing his front wheel. And after the collisions occurred, Bridges continued driving, leaving the scene of both accidents - later telling the officer that he hadn’t crashed into the other vehicles, despite his missing wheel sitting within viewing distance of the wrecked SUV.

According to the probable cause statement, prepared by Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Daniel Johnson, paired with information from the sheriff’s dispatch report that week, it was around 4:30 p.m. May 1, when an Ozark County dispatcher notified Johnson of the crash, saying a man had called and said he had been side-swiped in his 2000s model red Chevy pickup near Highways O and 101 near the Bakersfield School. The dispatcher said the man said another car, a maroon Buick Enclave, had also been hit. The perpetrator was reported to be driving a grey Ford pickup. The man said there were no injuries but the other driver left after causing the collisions. 

When Johnson arrived on scene, he spotted Bridges’ truck, a gray 2004 Ford F-150, sitting nearby with damage to the front, left quarter panel. The truck was also missing a left, front wheel and tire, the officer’s report says. Bridges, who had already been handcuffed by Ozark County Deputy Jeffrey Lane, was waiting in a patrol vehicle.

“I opened the door of the patrol vehicle and detected the odor of alcohol emitting from Bridges’ person. Bridges’ eyes were droopy,” Johnson wrote in his report. He said the suspect needed assistance in order to walk from Lane’s patrol vehicle to Johnson’s vehicle, and while the  officer spoke with the man, Bridges responded with slurred and mumbled speech, the document says.

“I asked him how much he had to drink, and he told me a six pack. I asked him to rate himself from 1-10 if 1 was stone cold sober and 10 was the drunkest he has ever been, and he rated himself at 6. He confessed he was drunk by his own admission and informed me he had not drank since he crashed,” Johnson said. 

Deputy Lane told Cpl. Johnson that he’d found an American Honey whiskey shooter bottle in the front seat of the truck, along with a case of beer in the truck bed. 

The officer said he attempted to administer the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, but Bridges did not follow directions for the full test. 

The officer then turned his attention to the crashed vehicles. 

His investigation revealed that after colliding with the Buick and a red Chevy pickup on Highway 101, Bridges continued west through Bakersfield, driving on only three wheels, before eventually leaving the roadway, striking a stop sign and coming to rest on the south side of O Highway. 

Johnson said when he asked Bridges what had caused the wreck, he said “I just ran off the road.”

He also told the officer he hadn’t hit any other cars. In response, Johnson brought him to the location where the Buick, smashed along its entire left side, was being loaded on a wrecker.  

He pointed out Bridges’ left front wheel sitting on the south side of the road there, about half a mile from where the vehicle was found.

Bridges was taken to the Ozark County Jail for booking and a breath test. Despite initially saying he had not consumed alcohol after the crash, he later changed his story, claiming he had drunk since the wreck and denied he was the driver, although he admitted to being the sole occupant of the vehicle. He then reportedly told the officer he had drunk three American Honey shooters, two Miller Lite beers and two Coors Banquet beers and had not consumed any alcohol since the crash, the report says. At 7:32 p.m., he provided an adequate breath sample, indicating his blood alcohol content was .353%, approximately 4.5 times over the legal limit of .08%.

Bridges was issued multiple citations and charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage exceeding $1,000. He also faces several misdemeanors, including DWI, careless and imprudent driving, failure to register a vehicle, and driving without insurance.

He posted a $5,000 cash bond on May 12 and was released on pre-trial supervision. Public Defender Chase Opolka initially represented Bridges but later filed to withdraw, stating Bridges was not indigent since he was able to post bond.

A criminal hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. July 29, before Associate Judge Raymond Gross.