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PARK CITY, Utah – April 14, 2025 – A 26-year-old Salt Lake City man faces a dozen criminal charges after he allegedly drove drunk and caused a head-on collision on State Route 248 near Park City last August, court documents show.
Jonathan Casimiro Abarca-Rodriguez was formally charged Thursday in Summit County’s 3rd District Court on counts including four felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury, four misdemeanor counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, and alcohol-restricted driver violations. He is being held without bail in the Summit County Jail pending a preliminary hearing.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 22, 2025, near Round Valley Drive. Abarca-Rodriguez was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of SR-248 when he struck another vehicle head-on, charging documents state.
When troopers arrived, the defendant and a passenger had already fled the scene. They were found hiding in a nearby field after climbing over a fence. Officers discovered multiple open containers of alcohol inside Abarca-Rodriguez’s vehicle, according to the charges.
A records check revealed that Abarca-Rodriguez was an alcohol-restricted driver required to have an ignition interlock device installed in his car. He did not have one, prosecutors said. A preliminary breath test showed his blood-alcohol content at 0.277% – more than five times Utah’s legal limit of 0.05%. The defendant told investigators he had consumed six to seven beers before driving.
The crash injured all four people involved: two passengers in Abarca-Rodriguez’s car and two occupants of the other vehicle. Their injuries were serious but non-life-threatening, according to UHP.
Court records show Abarca-Rodriguez was convicted of DUI in Murray Justice Court in April 2025, just months before this incident. That prior conviction made him subject to stricter alcohol restrictions, including the interlock requirement.
The case highlights ongoing enforcement challenges for Utah Highway Patrol in the Park City area, a popular destination for both tourists and local residents. “Impaired driving remains a top concern, especially on high-traffic corridors like SR-248,” said UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden in a statement. “This crash could have been far worse.”
Summit County prosecutors have requested that Abarca-Rodriguez be held without bail until trial, citing his prior DUI conviction and the severity of the current charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 2025.
If convicted on all counts, Abarca-Rodriguez faces up to several years in prison, plus fines and mandatory alcohol treatment. The court also ordered him to surrender his driver’s license.
The case is being closely watched by local advocacy groups, who say Utah’s interlock laws are effective but often underutilized. “Requiring interlocks for all DUI offenders, not just repeat ones, would save lives,” said MADD Utah spokesperson Lisa Martinez.
No further injuries or fatalities have been reported in connection with the crash. The two occupants of the other vehicle have since been released from the hospital.
Abarca-Rodriguez’s attorney declined to comment on the charges.
