Driver shot by police pleads not guilty to DUI
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REXBURG — The man shot by a police officer after the Rexburg Police Department says he accelerated toward him in a car pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence Tuesday.
On Oct. 22, police cited 22-year-old Ashtyne Lane Whiting with misdemeanor DUI after a domestic call turned potentially deadly. Shortly after police arrived around 1 a.m., police say Whiting accelerated his black Dodge Neon toward the area where the officer and caller were standing. Police fired several rounds at the car, striking Whiting in the shoulder and grazing his calf, according to Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman.
The caller told dispatchers Whiting was drunk, threatening to kill himself and possibly had a knife. After being shot, first responders took him to Madison Memorial Hospital where officers cited him for the alleged DUI. Whiting was released later that day.
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The Eastern Idaho Critical Incident Task Force continues to investigate the officer-involved shooting. Turman told reporters Whiting could face more charges at the conclusion of the investigation and when the Madison County prosecutor reviews the findings.
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Turman declined to release the name of the officer who fired the shots until after the task force completes its investigation. That officer is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Whiting’s pre-trial conference on the DUI charge is scheduled for Dec. 4 at the Madison County Courthouse.