Man charged for allegedly crashing stolen car into home and fleeing the scene in St. George

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — A man has been charged with DUI and other crimes after allegedly stealing a car, crashing into a building, and then fleeing the scene.

Darwin Julius Lee, 35, has been charged with one count of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle (a 2nd degree felony), driving under the influence with two or more priors in 10 years (a third-degree felony), and property damage/destruction between $1500 and $4999 (a third-degree felony).

He has also been charged with being an alcohol restricted driver, driving on a suspended/revoked/disqualified license for qualifying circumstances, and two counts of failure to comply with duties at a vehicle accident (Class B Misdemeanors), in addition to having an open container in vehicle on a highway (Class C Misdemeanor) and failure to operate within a single lane (Traffic infraction).

Lee was booked into the Washington County Jail on October 25, 2025, and was formally charged on October 27. He is being held without bail.

In addition to this alleged incident, Lee was previously found guilty of driving under the influence in 2011 and 2023. Because of those DUIs, he also was not allowed to drive.

Case History

At approximately 2:15 a.m. on October 25, 2025, an officer with the St. George Police Department (SGPD) responded to a call for an accident near 1200 W and 540 North in St. George.

According to initial reports form emergency dispatch, a male with a green shirt and long black hair had crashed an Isuzu NQR truck into a residence, before fleeing the scene on foot. The man was seen running westbound towards a nearby elementary school.

A responding officer with SGPD saw the individual running towards the school playground and ran after him and ordered him to stop. The officer then detained the suspect and identified him as Darwin Julius Lee from his Utah ID.

The officer also observed that Lee was swaying, would walk sideways, had slurred speech and red and watery eyes, and an odor of alcohol on his breath. He also had blood on his mouth, abrasions on his right palm, left eyebrow, and knees, as well as blood on his shirt.

Due to Lee’s proximity to the accident, his appearance, and the fact that the officer detained him near the time when the accident occurred, the SGPD officer believed he was the driver and asked if he had checked on the residents before fleeing the scene.

According to court documents, Lee denied being the driver, but he did ask if the SGPD officer could retrieve his vape from the truck.

The officer retuned to the crash scene with Lee, where he observed that Lee allegedly crashed into the east corner of the house. Both the house and sliding glass door experienced damage.

Additionally, there was an open Budweiser beer can on the floorboards of the vehicle and the truck reportedly smelled of an alcoholic beverage. The truck was also left in drive.

A witness told law enforcement that a truck had crashed into the house and said he saw Lee exit from the passenger door, and stumble in the road. The witness reportedly attempted to stop Lee and told him to remain at the crash but saw him run westbound toward the elementary school.

Further investigation of the crash scene revealed that the driver of the truck, identified by eyewitnesses and by physical evidence as Darwin Lee, had been travelling southbound at a high rate of speed, before turning and knocking down a stop sign. Lee then allegedly drove onto the sidewalk and turned sharply into the house.

Law enforcement also reached out to the registered owner of the truck, who stated that the truck was left in a parking lot in the city of Washington.

The truck owner also told law enforcement that nobody was to be driving the truck as it was being repaired and that Darwin did not have permission to drive the truck. The owner also stated the vehicle was most likely stolen from the parking lot.

Due to Lee’s injuries, the arresting SGPD officer did not conduct a field sobriety test but was granted a warrant for a blood sample of Lee’s blood. Lee was ultimately taken into custody for DUI.