DUI suspect fled scene, deputies say

SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man was arrested Friday after crashing his pickup truck and leaving the scene with his toddler, but leaving behind an injured passenger.

Stephen Paul Hindsley is charged with driving under the influence at the misdemeanor level and leaving the scene of an injury crash, a felony. Judge Barbara Buchanan set Hindsley’s bail at $10,100 during an initial court appearance on Monday.

Hindsley, 22, crashed in the 200 block of Grouse Creek Cutoff Road and witnesses saw him leaving the scene on foot and carrying a 2-year-old girl, according to a sheriff deputy’s report.

Deputies established a perimeter and eventually found Hindsley by homing in on the cries of the 2-year-old child, the report said.

Hindsley’s breath-alcohol level was reportedly measured at 0.09, just over the legal limit of 0.08. Hindsley told deputies he crashed because he was sideswiped by another vehicle on a curve in the rural road and lost control.

A 16-year-old passenger who was left behind in the wrecked Ford F-250 was treated at Bonner General Hospital and released, the report said.

A public defender has been appointed to represent Hindsley. A preliminary hearing on the felony charge is pending in Bonner County Magistrate Court.