JACKSON, Wyo. — A Jackson man was arrested and charged with a felony DUI after driving his vehicle approximately one mile down the middle of the Gros Ventre River on Sunday, Aug. 31.
The driver, Christopher Eickhoff, was arrested for the incident, with his bond set at $20,000. The Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial District in Teton County oversaw the preliminary case on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with Judge Erin E. Weisman presiding.
Deputy John Faicco told Buckrail that at 2:17 p.m. on Sunday, Teton County dispatch received a 911 call from a fisherman who had to move out of the way of a white Chevy Tahoe that was driving toward him while fishing. According to court records, Eickhoff “almost ran over the fisherman.”
Faicco said that the Tahoe went through a stretch of the river just past Crystal Creek Campground. Deputies are still determining how Eickhoff drove down to the river, but Faicco shared with Buckrail an approximate description of the vehicle’s path.
“He went down a two track and did some bushwacking until he dropped down a little ridge, down into the river bed,” Faicco said. “And then he started driving down the river.”
According to Faicco, Eickhoff and his vehicle were recovered from the river approximately a “quarter mile away from any roadway or forest service road.”
Due to the height of the river and the possibility of a backcountry rescue, Deputy Erik Elizondo and Teton County Sergeant Landen Smith arrived on the scene and met with the fisherman. The fisherman told the responding officers that the driver was an older white male who appeared to be intoxicated, per court records. Elizondo was advised that the driver headed southbound for approximately a half a mile, becoming stranded in deep water.
Deputy Elizondo then set out on foot, locating Eickhoff in the front driver’s seat of the Tahoe. As the deputy approached the vehicle, Eickhoff yelled out for him to “stand on his hood” so he could keep driving down the river. The deputy commanded Eickhoff to come out of his vehicle several times, and after 3 to 5 minutes of back and forth, he complied. Elizondo and Eickhoff then hiked up to higher ground.
Once Sergeant Smith arrived on the scene, Eickhoff was then escorted out of the backcountry in a patrol vehicle.
Faicco told Buckrail that even though there was probable cause to believe Eickhoff was intoxicated, he was charged with controlled substance DUI. The Teton County Sheriff’s Office is still waiting on official blood test results. Faicco said that Eickhoff admitted to the officers on the scene that he ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms.
There was some damage to Eickhoff’s vehicle, and damage to Forest Service land is yet to be determined.
According to the court, Eickhoff faces maximum penalties of Count 1: Driving While Under the Influence and Count 2: Possession of a Controlled Substance. Advance penalties for driving under the influence include imprisonment of not more than seven years and a fine of not more than $10,000. Eickhoff will next appear in court on Sept. 12.
