Sentinel staff report–
A 19-year-old driver from Citrus Heights is facing a felony DUI charge after authorities say he sideswiped a truck and caused a chain-reaction collision on a highway in Fresno on March 3, The Fresno Bee reported Monday. The collision sent multiple people to the hospital with major injuries, including a child who suffered brain injuries.
The teenage suspect has been identified as Timothy Butler of Citrus Heights. A drug recognition expert determined he was driving while under the influence of “an unspecified drug,” the local newspaper reported.
Victor Taylor, a California Highway Patrol spokesman, said in a video interview published by The Bee that Butler was travelling eastbound on Highway 180 on Sunday evening when he sideswiped the first vehicle involved. That collision then caused him to veer across a center median into opposite lanes of traffic, where he caused five more vehicles to collide.
The collision caused westbound lanes of the highway to be completely closed down, according to a tweet from Caltrans District 6 at 8:40 p.m. Sunday. It was unclear how long the roadway remained closed.
Online inmate records for the Fresno County Jail indicate Butler was arrested shortly after 9 p.m. on March 3. His bail has been set at $183,500.
See Citrus Heights arrest logs: click here
