Man charged with DUI had newborn in vehicle

A Pahrump man is facing charges after he was arrested for DUI on Saturday June 10, with a newborn in his vehicle.

Deputy Nicholas Augustine was performing routine traffic control in the area of Highway 372 and Pahrump Valley Boulevard when he observed a silver Hyundai traveling eastbound on the highway with no working head or taillights at approximately 8:17 p.m., according to a Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

“I conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver whom I identified as Lloyd Kunewa-March,” the report said. “Immediately, I could smell the odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle.”

Augustine also stated in the report that he further observed Kunewa-March to physically possess a blank stare along with glassy eyes.

When asked, Kunewa-March told Augustine that he smoked marijuana approximately 10 minutes prior to having contact with him.

Once outside of the vehicle, Augustine requested Kunewa-March to perform a series of standardized field sobriety test, to which he agreed.

“Lloyd performed the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the walk and turn test, and the one-legged stand test, in which he failed the walk and turn test along with the one-legged stand test.”

Additionally, Augustine’s report noted that a 12-day-old infant, born on May 29, was a passenger inside the vehicle.

“Based on Lloyd’s status of being impaired by marijuana and driving with a young child inside the vehicle, Lloyd placed the infant in a position of endangerment by potentially suffering unjustifiable physical pain if he were to cause an accident due to his unsafe driving, and violation of child neglect and endangerment,” according to Augustine’s arrest report. “A voluntary blood sample was collected at Desert View Hospital.”

Results of the blood sample were not provided by the sheriff’s office.

Following the initial investigation, Kunewa-March was arrested and transported to the Nye County Detention Center on alleged DUI and child neglect charges.

Bail amount was set at $10,700.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes