Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: David Michael Hernandez, 38, was booked into the jail on narcotic drug charges after a car he was in was pulled over for not using its turn signal while turning into a gas station.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – While some people start off the new year with resolutions, others seem to set off on the wrong foot.
The lack of use of a turn signal in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day led a Safford officer to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle that ended with a DUI arrest for the driver and drug charges for his passenger.
Raymond Eyre was arrested for aggravated DUI and was later released after allowing a sample of his blood to be taken for testing purposes. However, Eyre’s passenger, David Michael Hernandez, 38, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of possession of a narcotic (heroin) drug, possession of a narcotic (heroin) drug for sale, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a Safford Police report, at about 1:42 a.m. on Jan. 1, an officer noticed a four-door sedan turn off 1st Avenue into the Speedway gas station without using a turn signal. Upon contact with the driver, Eyre, the officer learned his driver’s license was suspended for a previous DUI he was arrested for on Dec. 15, 2019. The officer also noticed that Eyre appeared to be impaired.
When questioned, Eyre allegedly admitted to using methamphetamine within the last two hours and was arrested for aggravated DUI.
During his interaction with the passenger, Hernandez, the officer located a small plastic bag of marijuana and a black, chunky substance that Hernandez allegedly attempted to conceal in his hand. The substance was later examined to be one gram of heroin.
A tow inventory of the vehicle also yielded two smoking devices – one wood used for marijuana and one glass used for meth. Both Eyre and Hernandez denied ownership of the pipes.
Both men were transported to the Safford Police Department, where a blood sample was taken from Eyre. Afterward, he was released with charges pending the test results and review by prosecutors. Hernandez was then booked into the jail on his drug charges.
