Cochise Sheriff Larry Dever Was Drunk in Crash That Killed Him

Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever died last month when his pickup truck ran off the road and rolled over in Coconino County.

Now authorities say Dever’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was 0.29 percent, the Phoenix New Times reports. That’s more than three times the legal limit.

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Cochise Sheriff Larry Dever was on his way to a hunting trip with family members near White Horse Lake on Sept. 18. According to authorities, Dever was driving about 62 mph without a seat belt when the accident occurred. Dever was pronounced dead at the scene.

Beer bottles and cans were strewn around the site of the crash. However, a Coconino County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said that the beer had fallen out of Dever’s cooler. He also noted that deputies didn’t report smelling alcohol at the scene.

However, the results of Dever’s autopsy show the late sheriff’s blood alcohol content at the time of the accident was 0.291 percent. That’s more than three times over the state’s legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Arizona has three categories of DUI infractions: DUI, extreme DUI, and super extreme DUI. The charges carry escalating penalties depending on the driver’s BAC at the time of arrest.

Dever’s BAC would have gotten him a super extreme DUI, had he been pulled over prior to the fatal crash. Any person driving with a BAC of 0.20 percent or greater is guilty of super extreme DUI. An arrest would’ve gotten Dever a minimum sentence of 45 days in jail and a fine of $2,750 if convicted. It also would’ve saved his life.

Dever’s family attributed the DUI to a recent personal loss. “The Dever family expressed great sorrow at the findings, indicating that with the recent events in Sheriff Dever’s personal life to include the death of his mother Annie May four days prior to the accident, the Sheriff was still undoubtedly reeling from the stress and pressure of the events at hand,” the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Related Resources:

• Report: Cochise County sheriff legally drunk in fatal crash (The Associated Press)
• DUI Charges (FindLaw)
• Types of DUI (FindLaw)
• Undercover Deputies Bust 25 for Underage Drinking at Speedworld (FindLaw’s Phoenix DUI Law Blog)