A Durango man has been arrested on suspicion of his ninth drunken driving offense after allegedly attempting to evade law enforcement this week.
John Cochran, 56, faces charges of driving under the influence, eluding an officer and violating a protection order.
It is allegedly Cochran’s ninth drunk driving offense, according to Chris Burke, spokesman for La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
About 10:15 a.m. Monday, a sheriff’s deputy recognized Cochran driving a white Ford F-150 near the intersection of Larry Valdez Way and South Camino del Rio. Knowing that Cochran had an active warrant for failure to comply with La Plata County Court, the deputy attempted to stop him, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Durango Herald.
The affidavit said Cochran initially ignored the deputy’s signals to pull over and tried to speed away, even after the patrol vehicle’s siren and public-address system were activated. The flow of traffic eventually forced Cochran to stop, at which point the deputy confiscated his keys.
The deputy reported that Cochran smelled of alcohol, but he denied drinking that day. He failed a standard field sobriety test, according to the affidavit. Two 375-milliliter bottles of Jim Beam – one nearly empty and one unopened – were found in the crease of the driver’s seat.
About a month earlier, Cochran was arrested in Farmington and charged with second-degree felony aggravated driving while intoxicated after reportedly driving drunk with an open bottle of Jim Beam.
After his arrest Monday, Cochran was taken to the La Plata County Jail, where he agreed to take a breath test. The test was invalidated because of an “interferant,” and Cochran was taken to Mercy Hospital’s emergency room for a blood draw.
During that booking, it was discovered Cochran had an active felony warrant for failure to appear in Farmington.
Cochran’s court date is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. Nov. 25.
He is being held at the La Plata County Jail without bail on one charge, a $25,000 cash-only bail for another, and a $200 cash-only bail for the third, according to Burke.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
