Man charged with aggravated DUI following crash with bus in high school parking lot

POCATELLO — A 67-year-old Pocatello man was arrested and charged after a woman was hurt in a high school parking lot. 

Daniel Rymer is charged with felony aggravated driving under the influence. It is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine. 

The incident happened on Wednesday around 3 p.m. at the Highland High School parking lot in Pocatello, on 1800 Bench Road. 

RELATED | Woman injured following bus crash in Pocatello

According to Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25, the girls’ basketball team was headed to Canyon Ridge in Twin Falls for a game. 

Holiday Motor Coach, the busing company, told EastIdahoNews.com that a driver in another vehicle went off the road and ran into the bus, hitting a woman standing outside. 

No students or athletes were reported injured. 

What happened

When officers from the Pocatello Police Department arrived, they saw a black Honda Civic that had collided with a bus and a woman was lying on the ground in front of the vehicles. 

An officer identified the driver of the Honda as Rymer and asked him what happened. 

Rymer told police he was traveling east on Bench Road and returning to his home. 

He said that the next thing he knew, he crashed into a bus at the high school, and he did not know what happened. He told officers that he might have had a seizure, court documents said. 

Officers noticed that Rymer had bloodshot and glossy eyes and a strong odor coming from him. Documents said he appeared confused and was slow to respond to questions. 

An officer asked Rymer how much alcohol he had to drink that day, and he reportedly said that he had one beer before the crash. The officer asked him how long ago he had the beer. 

He said he was drinking the beer while driving down the road, documents said. 

One of the officers noticed a 12-pack of Bud Light alcohol on the Honda’s front passenger floorboard. There was also a liquid on the front driver’s side floorboard and in the cup holder near the center console. Officers said the liquid was alcohol. 

While conducting inventory of the vehicle, there were multiple open containers tucked under the front passenger seat that were found. In total, there were six empty cans and one half-empty can of Bud Light. 

An officer asked Rymer if he would be willing to perform a standardized field sobriety test. Rymer said yes; however, he could not complete it in a “satisfactory manner,” police reported. 

Rymer was asked if he felt he could safely operate a motor vehicle. He looked over at the crash and allegedly said, “Apparently, I probably should not have been driving.”

As for the woman who Rymer hit, she was reported as having “severe injuries” and was bleeding from her head. Court documents said she was taken to Portneuf Medical Center by ground ambulance. Her name has not been released. 

Officers asked him if he was willing to perform another test, and he said yes. At the conclusion of that test, an officer said that Rymer “should not be operating a motor vehicle.”

Court records show that Rymer was released on his own recognizance and has to report to pretrial supervision and do drug and alcohol testing. 

He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at the Bannock County Courthouse on Dec. 24 at 10:30 a.m. 

Though Rymer has been charged with this crime, this does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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