DUI case infuriates families
Man convicted in '95 deaths of 2 teens faces drunken driving charge
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
A man who was involved in a high-profile drunken-driving case in Utah when he was a juvenile has been arrested in Arizona near the Utah border for allegedly driving under the influence.
Now, the families of his Utah victims are outraged.
"My first reaction (to the Arizona incident) isn't printable," said Mary Phillips, whose daughter was killed 10 years ago. "I'm pretty sick about it."
Laramie Huntzinger, 26, is scheduled to be in court Monday in Mohave County, Ariz., to face charges of DUI, possession of an open container and possession of prescription drugs. All charges are class one misdemeanors, which is equivalent to a class A misdemeanor in Utah.
Huntzinger was stopped while driving Jan. 2 outside of Mesquite, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. Further details of his arrest were not available Wednesday.
Huntzinger was involved in one of Utah's most high-profile drunken-driving cases on Aug. 10, 1995. Then 16, the unlicensed Huntzinger sped through a residential neighborhood along Hollow Mill Drive in Cottonwood Heights while driving drunk. He missed a turn, his vehicle jumped the curb and then it ran down three of his Brighton High School classmates who were walking along the sidewalk.
Jennifer Neddo, 16, and Elizabeth Phillips, 15, were killed instantly. Jamie Cogswell, who was then 16, was left with permanent injuries.
Huntzinger was sentenced to Decker Lake Youth Center until 1998 after being convicted of two counts of vehicular manslaughter. His blood-alcohol level that night was 0.11. The legal limit in Utah is 0.08.