Rexburg police stop alleged wrong-way drunk driver after more than 15 witnesses call 911

REXBURG — Police arrested a drunk driver after at least 15 people called 911, reporting he was driving the wrong way down a highway.

Gandalf Jorgensen, 48, from Rigby, is charged in Madison County with felony DUI and felony leaving the scene of an accident.

According to a Facebook post from the Rexburg Police Department, Madison County dispatch received numerous 911 calls around 10:50 p.m. Wednesday, reporting a wrong-way driver on U.S. Highway 20.

Callers reported that a truck was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes. As officers attempted to find the truck, the driver reportedly crashed head-on into a young woman driving in the eastbound lanes.

The woman was able to “swerve out of the way,” which helped her avoid injury. She was reportedly able to walk away from the crash unharmed, but her vehicle suffered severe damage.

According to the post, the suspect driver, who also had heavy damage to his truck, continued to drive into oncoming traffic. Debris damaged at least one other car as the suspect reportedly drove on sparking rims.

Some officers and deputies stopped with the damaged vehicles while others continued to search for the suspect.

Police say the suspect’s vehicle was located several miles further down the highway and into Jefferson County. According to the post, the driver admitted to having had “plenty” of alcohol to drink before driving his truck.

“We would like to thank our awesome dispatchers who were able to take the heavy volume of frantic callers and distill the necessary information to pass on to officers,” says the post. “We also thank the Madison County and Jefferson County deputies that also responded as we dealt with multiple crime scenes spread out over jurisdictions.”

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