A Charleston man faces criminal charges for allegedly being drunk behind the wheel early Saturday morning when a passenger in his vehicle was fatally struck by a tree in Kanawha County.
Dakota Z. Miller, 20, reportedly had a blood-alcohol concentration nearly one-and-a-half times the legal driving limit of 0.08%. He was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence causing death, a felony, according to a release from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies said Miller was driving a pickup with at least five passengers on Second Street near U.S. 77 at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday. Investigators believe one of Miller’s passengers had his legs and the vehicle and was holding onto the roof.
As Miller negotiated a curve, his vehicle went off the roadway, according to the release. The passenger who was hanging onto the roof was struck by a tree and suffered fatal injuries.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed identifying information about the victim, such as age and city of residence. It wasn’t immediately clear whether any of the others in the vehicle were injured in the incident.
Miller later was arrested and a blood sample was drawn. Deputies said his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.143% at the time the sample was taken.
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