Truck driver faces 8 criminal charges
Ralph Lozier, 62, of Farmington, reportedly struck another vehicle with a semi in an alleged road rage incident on July 24.
A young man learning to drive had a frightening experience this week, when his car was struck by a semitrailer in an alleged incident of road rage.
The youth was driving with his mother about 3:25 p.m. July 24 on County Road 3000 when a Farmington man driving a semitrailer allegedly struck the car and acted threateningly toward them.
Ralph Lozier, 62, was charged with two counts of third-degree felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and two counts of fourth-degree aggravated assaults, as well as four counts of misdemeanor resisting, evading or obstructing an officer.
Lozier allegedly drove “behind them extremely close to the vehicle” in “a large flatbed semi-style vehicle,” and “began blowing his loud air horn at them,” according to the probable cause statement.
The young man slow down and pulled over to allow Lozier to pass, when he allegedly “pulled into their vehicle, striking them as both vehicles were still moving.” There reportedly were no other vehicles in the road, which San Juan County Sheriff’s deputies said “shows Ralph’s intent to strike the vehicle,” according to the probable cause statement.
The mother was on the phone with dispatch and was told to pull off the road until sheriff’s deputies arrived, and as her son did so, Lozier reportedly “swerved, almost striking them again,” according to the statement of probable cause.
When a deputy arrived on scene, he pulled behind Lozier with his lights and siren going, but Lozier reportedly turned into a construction zone on County Road 350 and continued going until out of the construction zone. Then, when the deputy exited his vehicle and approached the semitrailer, Lozier allegedly “pulled away and continued northbound,” court records state.
Lozier turned onto County Road 3494, and then “came to a complete stop,” but reportedly “refused to comply” with orders to exit the truck, court records state.
According to deputies, Lozier put the vehicle in drive, pulled away and drove 100 yards before stopping again. He reportedly refused to exit the truck and instead “was arguing with every command,” and “began yelling obscenities” at law enforcement, court records state.
He reportedly exited the truck and got back in multiple times, and at one point threw the keys outside and then allegedly tried to retrieve them and get back inside the truck, according to the statement of probable cause.
When deputies finally secured Lozier and placed him in handcuffs, he reportedly “fell to the ground, refusing to walk on his own,” and when they managed to put him in the back of the patrol unit he allegedly “jumped back out,” court records state.
Once Lozier was secure and in the patrol car, he was transported to and booked into the San Juan County Detention Center.
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