GARDEN CITY - A Caldwell man has been arrested on felony vehicular manslaughter and aggravated DUI charges in connection to a crash last summer that killed a passenger in his vehicle, police said.
25-year-old Dakota Smith was booked into the Ada County Jail Thursday afternoon. In addition to the two felonies, Smith is charged with driving without privileges.
Garden City Police say Smith was behind the wheel when he crashed into a tree during the early morning hours of July 1. A passenger in the car, 34-year-old Adrian Shaw, was pronounced dead at the scene.
When officers arrived on scene, Smith and another man both denied being the driver. Since the crash, police say detectives have continued to examine evidence found at the scene, and were eventually able to identify Smith as the driver.
“This was a preventable incident that took the life of a young man," Sgt. Tyler Domeny said in a statement. "I hope this will be a good reminder to the community that mixing alcohol and driving can have serious or deadly results.”
Smith is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon.
