Driver in wrong-way freeway crash with trooper arrested again for driving wrong way, UHP says
By Pat Reavy
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MOAB , Utah (KSL) — A Utah man who was stopped from driving the wrong way in April by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper who put his life on the line has now been arrested for again driving the wrong way on the freeway, according to troopers.
And the man — who troopers say has dementia — has allegedly said he’ll continue driving on Utah’s roads going the wrong direction.
Raymond Joe Sisneros, 63, was booked into the Grand County Jail on Thursday for investigation of reckless endangerment.
On Wednesday, the Utah Highway Patrol received “multiple reports of a wrong-way driver on I-70.” When a trooper spotted Sisneros’ pickup truck, he was driving west in the westbound lanes. But when the trooper pulled up behind Sisneros, he “attempted to make a U-turn and go (the) wrong way. I placed my patrol car in his path, stopping him,” a police booking affidavit states.
After learning Sisneros’ identity, the trooper discovered he had also been involved in a crash with another trooper in Tooele County in April.
On April 18, Sisneros was in a pickup truck on I-80 near Lake Point allegedly traveling east in the westbound lanes. UHP Sgt. Chad McCoy, who had just completed a shift in Salt Lake County, happened to see the truck coming at him. He used his patrol car to stop Sisneros by hitting him nearly head-on.
McCoy suffered minor injuries and received praise from his administrators and Gov. Spencer Cox for his actions.
Sisneros was charged in that incident in 3rd District Court with being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; two counts of reckless endangerment, one class A and one class B misdemeanor; failing to stay on the correct side of the road, a class C misdemeanor; and two infractions including not wearing a seat belt and not having insurance. His next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.
After Sisneros’ arrest on Thursday, troopers “found the suspect had been diagnosed with dementia” and transported him to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation before taking him to jail, the affidavit says.
“While at the hospital, the suspect told the hospital staff that if he was released he would go drive into oncoming traffic again,” the arrest report states.
Mental health officials in Grand County have asked that Sisneros remain in jail until they can perform another evaluation.
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