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Eric Yarham, Minot, charged twice in one weekend with DUI

Eric Steven Yarham, 22, Minot, was stopped by police on two separate occasions on Saturday and Sunday for driving while intoxicated. During the second incident, he had a 15-year-old in the vehicle with him.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed with the court for the first incident, Yarham was stopped at 8:26 p.m. Saturday for driving a van that was swerving on the road in Holiday Park. A caller had reported that Yarham was driving east in the west bound lanes on U.S. Highway 2 East by 55th Street SE. The officer watched the minivan driver approach the intersection at a high rate of speed, then put the vehicle in reverse and back up about 5 to 8 feet, then put the vehicle back into drive. According to the affidavit, there was grass hanging from the rear bumper of the vehicle and he saw the vehicle cross the inside fog line. The officer tried to stop the vehicle and Yarham didn’t immediately stop. The officer saw Yarham drive the wrong way on the frontage road. When the officer stopped the vehicle, he wrote that Yarham smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech, was salivating, had watery eyes, and was belligerent and refused to follow orders. The officer held him at taser point. When he was arrested, Yarham spat in the back of the patrol vehicle.

Yarham failed a field sobriety test. His results on a breath alcohol test were 0.211.

For that incident, Yarham is charged in district court in Minot with actual physical control of a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a .16 percent or greater breath alcohol test, a Class B misdemeanor and with driving with a suspended license, a Class B misdemeanor.

On the following day, an officer stopped Yarham again while Yarham was driving the Chrysler minivan in Minot around the Select Inn on North Broadway. A 15-year-old was in the front passenger seat. Yarham tried to tell the officer that he had permission to drive from his probation officer and the police officer who had arrested him the previous day. The officer told him no one could give him permission to drive with a revoked driver’s license. Yarham again smelled strongly of alcohol and struggled when the officer placed him under arrest. On that occasion, Yarham had a blood alcohol content reading of .15. Yarham continued to argue with the officer about the arrest and then took off running north on 4th Street NW. The officers pursued Yarham, but lost him in the 600 block of 20th Avenue NW. Several police officers searched for him for over an hour. At around 4:45 p.m. Sunday, one officer heard someone yelling for help in the area where Yarham had last been seen. They searched and eventually found Yarham, who was still wearing handcuffs, behind a home in the 1900 block of Skyline Drive. Yarham was taken to the Ward County Jail.

Sgt. Conrad Kossan noted that he issued Yarham citations for his “indiscretions” on Sunday that included driving under the influence while accompanied by a minor, a second offense, a Class A misdemeanor; refusal to halt, a Class B misdemeanor, and escape, a Class A misdemeanor.

In May 2018, Yarham drove drunk in Minot and struck another vehicle, injuring the other driver. The other driver broke three vertebrae, one rib, and had a partially collapsed lung.

Yarham was ordered to serve a year in jail for that Class C felony offense.

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