Alleged drunken driver switches seats with passenger

Bloomsburg, Pa. — A drunken driver traded seats with his passenger after he crashed onto a sidewalk, police say.

Curtis Lee Downer, 27, was driving a Kia sedan on April 8 just after 1:30 a.m. when he left the roadway near the intersection of Lightstreet Road and East Street. The vehicle hopped the curb and came to a stop in the grass in front of the Bloomsburg Diner, according to Officer Josh Dombrosky.

Witnesses who called 911 told dispatchers that Downer had reportedly switched seats with his female passenger, later identified as Ingred Huben, so it appeared she was the one who crashed the car.

Once on scene, police found Downer sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He had several broken teeth and smelled strongly of alcohol, Dombrosky said. He denied driving the vehicle, but Huben, who was sitting in the driver's seat, "would not fully answer if she had been driving the vehicle," charges say.

Multiple witnesses allegedly told police the pair switched immediately after the crash, with Downer clearly driving when the car left the road. After confronting Downer about the witnesses' statements, he admitted he'd been driving.

He was taken to Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital, where his blood alcohol level was tested at .158%, nearly twice the legal limit for drivers.

Downer, of Red Bud Lane, Danville, is charged with reckless endangerment, two counts of DUI, driving with a suspended license, and careless driving.

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