CASPER — A 23-year-old Casper man is facing charges after he allegedly drove his pickup truck through a stop sign in a south Casper neighborhood while drunk Sunday night and crashed into a Honda occupied by three teenagers, sending all three to the hospital.

Jakob Klinger appeared in Casper Circuit Court via video from jail Monday to face three felony charges of driving while intoxicated with serious bodily injury.

According to court documents, police were called to the intersection of East 21st Street and South Beverly Street around 10:45 p.m. Sunday and found the two-vehicle crash, with the gold Honda engine bay crushed against the windshield by the pickup truck. The Honda was carrying three teenagers, ages 14 to 17.

When police arrived, Klinger was pulling his unconscious 49-year-old mother from his pickup truck. He was transported by emergency services to Banner Wyoming Medical Center, according to a court affidavit.

What happened?

Court documents show the teenage driver of the Honda told police he was traveling east on 21st Street, stopped at the intersection and began turning north toward Beverly when the truck traveling west on 21st Street stopped at a stop sign and struck his vehicle.

Klinger initially told police he had nothing to drink and that he, his mother and a 21-year-old female passenger were on their way home from a Halloween party.

An arrest affidavit stated that a police officer who interviewed Klinger smelled alcohol and that his speech was slurred.

Klinger was asked to submit to a field sobriety test, which showed signs of impairment, including an inability to balance and follow instructions.

“Jakob later admitted that he had shared a pitcher of Coors Light with his mother at Moonlight Liquors approximately 5 minutes before the crash,” the affidavit stated.

Crash investigators concluded that Klinger’s pickup was traveling between 40 and 50 mph in a 30 mph zone and failed to yield at the intersection.

“Additionally, crash investigators observed no indication that the Chevrolet truck attempted to brake prior to the collision,” the affidavit states. The vehicles remained approximately 20 to 30 feet west of the intersection of Beverly and 21st.

Multiple Injuries

Klinger’s mother suffered head and face injuries. The driver of the Honda suffered a broken nose and cracked vertebrae in his lower back, a 17-year-old male passenger in the Honda was stapled to the head and suffered a concussion, and a 14-year-old woman suffered a broken collarbone. stated in the declaration.

Appearing before Judge Kevin Taheri in Casper Circuit Court on Monday, Klinger told the judge he understood the charges against him.

Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen noted that Klinger has several past charges, including a drug charge in 2022, a driving while intoxicated charge in 2020 and a previous reckless driving charge.

Sunday, he was also driving with a suspended license, according to court documents.

Judge Taheri set bond at $50,000. Klinger remains in the Natrona County jail.

Any DUI that causes serious bodily injury is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $2,000 to $5,000.

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at [email protected].