PANAMA CITY — Officers have arrested a Fountain man who was driving the wrong way on U.S. 231 at the time of a head-on crash and charged him with drunken driving, according to court records.
David Michael Parrish, 64, was arrested Monday in connection with a head-on crash on U.S. 231 near Hightower Road that left a woman pinned against her steering wheel with serious injuries. Parrish, who has a history of DUIs, now faces a felony charge of DUI with serious bodily injury to another after officers received blood results indicating he had a 0.278 BAC at the time of the crash, court records indicated. The legal limit is 0.08 BAC.
Officers requested blood from Parrish after arriving at the head-on crash Feb. 12. Parrish had bloodshot, glassy eyes and was slurring his speech as authorities questioned him, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.
Moments earlier, he had been driving a Toyota Camry north on the southbound lane of U.S. 231 when troopers said he crashed into Crystal Wright, driving a Honda Civic. Wright was pinned behind her steering wheel as officers spoke with Parrish and allegedly found an open alcohol container in his car, FHP reported.
A warrant was issued and Parrish was arrested Monday on charges of driving under the influence with serious injuries and property damage.
Parrish has a history of alcohol-related offenses from nearly 20 years ago. In 1986, he was arrested on disorderly intoxication and driving under the influence, for which he was ordered to attend DUI school for being a multiple offender.