Man arrested for drunk driving allegedly breaks police officer's hand while resisting arrest

IDAHO FALLS – A 35-year-old Idaho Falls man was arrested Saturday after police say he injured two police officers during his arrest for drunken driving.

Bradley Cory Willard was charged with driving while intoxicated, two counts of assault on certain persons, and resisting or obstructing the performance of official duties.

According to court documents, an Idaho Falls police officer stopped a red 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck near the intersection of West Broadway Street and North Utah Avenue at around 1:46 a.m. Saturday.

The officer reportedly saw the truck stop above the stop line at the intersection of Memorial Drive and West Broadway Street before turning into the wrong lane on West Broadway Street.

The officer stopped the truck in the parking lot of Cedric's Restaurant at 1260 West Broadway Street.

According to the police report, the driver was identified as Willard, who smelled of alcohol and had “bloodshot, glassy eyes.”

Willard allegedly admitted to drinking alcohol and agreed to take a breathalyzer test, which he failed.

Officers checked Willard's criminal record and found that this was his third drunken driving incident in the past decade, making it a felony.

According to police reports, Willard was previously arrested and convicted of drunk driving in Farmington, Utah and Madison County.

Willard reportedly refused to submit to a breathalyzer test, whereupon he was handcuffed and told he was being arrested.

According to court documents, Willard “became aggressive and resisted arrest” and was taken to the ground. Willard reportedly grabbed an officer's left hand and twisted it.

The officer writes in his report that it “caused great pain and I immediately sensed that something was wrong.”

The officers managed to restrain Willard's arms, but he again managed to grab and twist the officer's left hand, refusing to let go until he was “verbally ordered to do so.”

During the altercation, Willard reportedly also injured the right hand of a second officer.

When officers tried to get Willard into the police car, he is also said to have “headbutted” the first officer.

The first officer was later diagnosed with a broken hand at a local hospital, while the second officer suffered a muscle strain in his right hand.

Willard was then taken to the Bonneville County Jail and a search warrant was issued for a blood draw. The results are pending.

Willard was held on $60,000 bail and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on August 30.

If convicted, he faces up to 21 years in prison.

Although Willard is accused of these crimes, it does not necessarily mean that he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.