Duncan Man Facing Extreme DUI Charges After Blowing Four Times the Legal Limit

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

DUNCAN — A Duncan man was given a courtesy stay behind bars in the Greenlee County Jail after authorities caught him driving down Highway 70 at four times the legal blood alcohol limit Friday morning.

Joseph Cruz Garcia, 31, of Duncan, was arrested June 26 and booked on multiple charges, including extreme DUI, aggravated DUI, and possession of an open container of liquor in a vehicle.

According to Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office records, a motorist called 911 around 11 a.m. on June 26 to report a vehicle driving erratically after crossing the state line from New Mexico into Arizona on U.S. Highway 70. Witnesses reported that Garcia’s vehicle was failing to maintain its lane and was repeatedly traveling directly into oncoming traffic.

When deputies intercepted the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop, they observed immediate signs of severe intoxication. A subsequent breath test revealed that Garcia’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was a staggering .321. In Arizona, the baseline legal limit for commercial or standard driving is .080, putting Garcia’s level at over four times the statutory limit.

A standard background check also revealed that Garcia was already driving on a suspended license stemming from a prior DUI offense — escalating the current charges to an aggravated felony.

Sheriff’s Office Sees Surge in Dangerous Driving Behavior

Garcia’s arrest comes amidst a string of severe traffic enforcement incidents in the area. Just days prior to Garcia’s arrest, Greenlee County deputies intercepted another motorist engaged in highly reckless behavior.

In that incident, a driver was clocked traveling at 75 mph in a posted 45-mph zone while driving on the wrong side of the road. That driver was successfully pulled over, arrested, and booked into the local facility on charges of criminal speed, reckless driving, and DUI.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that impaired and reckless driving continues to pose a critical danger to rural two-lane corridors like Highway 70, and urges the community to continue reporting erratic driving behavior immediately to dispatch.