A man in Cottonwood has been arrested for DUI after a reported incident at an area convenience store.
Fox 10 in Phoenix reports that dispatchers for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the Quick Country Store last week on Saturday, September 14th. Employees at the convenience store and gas station say a man driving a white Toyota pickup truck had been throwing beer cans out of the window of his vehicle and yelling at passersby.
Sheriff’s deputies later found Christian Mattos, 40, near the scene of the reported incident, asleep at the wheel of his vehicle with the engine still running. In the back seat of the Toyota crew cab, they found two young children; a two-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy crying. Deputies removed the crying infants from the vehicle after turning off the vehicle’s engine.
While upset, both children were unhurt in the incident. Their custody was eventually turned over to their mother, who was called to the scene.
Yavapai Sheriff’s deputies determined by Mattos’ state that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol. Mattos displayed several characteristics indicative of intoxication, including bloodshot eye and slurred speech. After field sobriety tests were administered to Mattos, he was placed under arrest.
Blood alcohol testing would later reveal that at the time of his arrest, Mattos had a blood alcohol level at 0.21 percent – almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Mattos is now facing the charges of one count of aggravated DUI and two counts of child endangerment. He was eventually released pending action by the Court. Authorities have not yet stated when Mattos’ court appearance has been scheduled.
