Hit and run results in drunk driving arrest

A Duluth man accused of rear-ending a vehicle then driving off while intoxicated made an initial appearance last week in Douglas County Circuit Court.

James Randall Bryant, 49, faces two counts felony hit and run-involve injury and two counts misdemeanor first offense cause injury/operating while intoxicated. He was released on a $2,000 signature bond on the condition he has no contact with the victim, doesn’t use or possess alcohol and doesn’t drive without a valid driver’s license.

According to the criminal complaint:

A hit and run accident was reported at about 10:20 p.m. May 5. The victim, whose vehicle was rear-ended when she stopped for a red light at the intersection of Tower Avenue and Broadway Street, followed the vehicle that struck hers until it was stopped by Superior Police Officer Nicholas Eastman.

The driver, identified as Bryant, told Eastman he did not think he actually hit anyone. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and there was an odor of intoxicants coming from Bryant. He told Eastman he had had “a couple,” meaning two, drinks. Bryant performed poorly on field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test showed an alcohol level of 0.107.

The driver of the vehicle said after the accident, she pulled to the side of the road to exchange information but the driver of the other vehicle just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders before taking off. Both the driver of the vehicle that was struck and a passenger in the vehicle sustained injuries from the incident.

A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday.

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