CHUBBUCK— A 31-year-old man was recently arrested after police say he led officers on a high-speed chase while drunk.

Juan Carlos Chavez, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been charged with felony eluding and misdemeanor DUI following the incident, which unfolded around 1 a.m. on Feb. 15, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal recently obtained.

The pursuit first started when Chubbuck police were on patrol in the area of New Day Parkway and Yellowstone Avenue around and observed a white pickup truck driving northbound on Yellowstone Avenue at a high rate of speed, court records show. When turning onto New Day Parkway the driver of the truck, later identified as Chavez, crossed into the opposite lane of travel and almost struck the officer’s patrol vehicle, police said.

Chavez then accelerated away at a high rate of speed going eastbound onto New Day Parkway and the officer activated the emergency lights and sirens and attempted to catch up to the vehicle to conduct a traffic stop, court records show.

“It should be noted my vehicle was not catching up to the pickup truck while speeding up to approximately 75 miles per hour,” police said in the report.

Officers observed Chavez drive over railroad tracks and nearly lose control of the vehicle before crossing the median on New Day Parkway and driving into oncoming traffic at an estimated speed of 80 miles per hour, court records show. His vehicle struck the median during the chase, sending rocks and debris into the roadway.

The pursuit ended when Chavez turned northbound onto Hiline Road and pulled over, traveling roughly 300 meters before stopping, police said.

When officers approached the vehicle, they reported smelling alcohol coming from inside. Chavez, the sole occupant, told police he was “just trying to get home,” according to court records. Officers found an open container of alcohol in the driver’s side door cupholder, and Chavez later admitted beer had spilled on his pants when he hit the median. Three open containers total were found in the vehicle.

Chavez told police he had consumed six beers and had been coming from Club 91 in Pocatello, though he gave conflicting accounts of where he was headed, court records show.

Officers administered field sobriety tests, during which Chavez showed multiple indicators of impairment. He subsequently provided two breath samples measuring .109 and .106 — both above Idaho’s legal limit of 0.08, according to court records.

When asked why he did not stop for police, Chavez said he did not see the emergency lights until after the traffic signal at Hiline Road and New Day Parkway, and that he could not pull over because there was no room on the road, police said.

Chavez appeared before 6th District Magistrate Judge David W. Cousin for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 17 where bond was set at $35,000.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on March 3 for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors will attempt to present sufficient evidence to elevate the case from magistrate to district court for trial.

The felony eluding charge Chavez faces carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 if Chavez is convicted.