Man sentenced after drunk crash leads to drug charges
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IDAHO FALLS – An Idaho Falls man was sentenced Monday after being charged with multiple felonies for driving under the influence and possession of drugs.
Kyle Thomas Murdock, 27, was sentenced to between one and four years in prison. But District Judge Dane Watkins suspended the prison time, instead giving Murdock a three-year probation sentence and requiring him to finish 100 hours of community service.
Murdock was originally charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, felony driving under the influence, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor use or possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor consuming an open beverage while driving and misdemeanor driving without privileges.
As part of a plea agreement, Murdock pleaded guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance, and all other charges were dropped.
Court records show on May 11, 2022, Idaho State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 26 near milepost 352.
Police found a 2005 Subaru Impreza at the scene, which had been driven by Murdock with no other passengers.
Officers say in court documents that they could “smell the heavy odor of alcohol coming from Murdock’s breath.”
When asked how much he had to drink that night, Murdock responded that he had “at least two Monoco alcohol beverages in the Swan Valley area at a job site prior to driving,” according to police records.
Murdock also told officers that he was not wearing a seatbelt.
The police state in the report that there were “multiple empty Monoco alcohol bottles located inside and outside of the vehicle with other debris on scene.”
Murdock then told the officers that he was currently on probation for a prior DUI out of Bonneville County.
When police looked up Murdock’s records, they found that he had two active suspensions for a DUI, and was required to have an ignition interlock restriction device in his car, that would keep him from driving if he had a certain amount of alcohol in his system.
When officers checked the car, there was no ignition interlock restriction inside.
Police then had Murdock perform a set of field sobriety tests and tested him for drugs.
While searching the vehicle, officers found a marijuana dab vape cartridge, and an old prescription bottle with seven and a half blue pills later identified to be amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.
Murdock was then transferred to the Bonneville County Jail.