HAYDEN, Idaho – A Coeur d’Alene man has been charged with DUI for the second time after driving onto Hayden Lake and breaking through the ice on Sunday night.
According to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were sent to Honeysuckle Beach in Hayden for a report that a vehicle drove onto the ice and was sinking.
Deputies found that the vehicle broke through the ice approximately 650 feet from shore and is submerged in about 17 feet of water, according to the sheriff’s office. It is likely that it will not be recovered until the ice melts.
When deputies arrived at Hayden Lake, they saw a man, later identified as 37-year-old John W. Hamilton, in wet clothing walking toward the shore as the vehicle’s taillights slipped underneath the surface. Members of the sheriff’s office’s Dive Rescue and Sonar team responded to the scene.
Hamilton could not remember where he was travelling from, and a urine sample showed that his Blood Alcohol Content of .167, over two times the legal limit.
The Sonar Team used a remote-operated vehicle under the ice to confirm nobody else was inside of the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office is urging people to stay away from the ice around the vehicle to prevent unnecessary injuries.
