A Summit County Sheriff vehicle. Photo: TownLift // Kevin Cody

PARK CITY, Utah — A 19-year-old male driver was arrested early Sunday morning for driving under the influence after deputies clocked him speeding at 90 mph on SR-224 with three underage passengers, including a 16-year-old, in the vehicle.

The traffic stop was conducted after the driver had gotten onto Westbound I-80. Upon contacting the occupants of the vehicle, deputies detected the odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from the passenger compartment of the vehicle, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The driver was arrested and now faces a Class A misdemeanor, as the driver was under 21 years old and a passenger in the car was under 18 years old.

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According to Utah’s “Not a Drop” law, underage individuals under the legal drinking age of 21 just have to have some detectable amount of alcohol in their system to be arrested for DUI. Drivers over 21 can’t be arrested if their blood alcohol level is below .05 percent.

While the driver of the vehicle was placed into custody and transported to the jail, the other occupants were released to sober drivers.

“We take driving under the influence charges very seriously,” said Sgt. Skyler Talbot with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. “It jeopardizes themselves, jeopardizes their passengers, and jeopardizes everyone on the road. . . . When we’re talking about adults who aren’t of that legal drinking age, it becomes an even more serious problem.”

On behalf of the Sheriff’s Office, Talbot encouraged parents to have conversations with their children about underage driving and DUI. For anyone under the age of 21, Talbot advised, “If you’re out with friends and someone who’s intoxicated decides to get behind the wheel, number one, don’t go with them. And then secondly, let an adult know or call the sheriff’s office yourself and let us know so we can stop them before they hurt, seriously injure, or kill someone.”