After rollover, 16-year-old charged with drinking

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A 16-year-old driver involved in a rollover crash July 26 between Mitchell and Ethan now faces multiple charges for allegedly driving drunk and not reporting the crash.

According to court documents, Derrick Paul Gukeisen, of Mitchell, was driving with another 16-year-old passenger when the two were allegedly involved in a single-vehicle rollover accident near 411th Avenue and 261st Street, about 10 miles north of Ethan.

Gukeisen allegedly did not report the crash to police, but did call relatives, who apparently picked the boys up and called a towing company from Parkston to remove the vehicle.

The relatives allegedly told the towing company that the crash had already been reported.

A few hours later, the boys were taken by family members to Avera Queen of Peace Hospital for injuries they suffered in the crash, and hospital staff contacted law enforcement.

During an interview with Davison County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Harr, Gukeisen allegedly admitted to drinking beer before the crash, and told Harr he did not report the crash because he had been drinking.

His blood alcohol content was found to be 0.057, court documents say. That’s below the 0.08 limit for adult drivers, but Gukeisen is younger than the legal drinking age.

Gukeisen was not taken into custody until July 27 due to medical concerns regarding his injuries, court documents say. He turned himself in at the Davison County Sheriff’s Office and was then released to his mother.

Gukeisen is charged with reckless driving, failure to report an accident, having an unrestrained passenger between the ages of 5 and 17, and for driving after consuming alcohol while younger than 21.

He is scheduled to appear in court later this month.

Tags: car accident, news, updates, crime, mitchell, juvenile, alcohol, rollover