A Vancouver man who’s been convicted six times for driving under the influence is facing a new DUI allegation following a fender bender, according to court records.
Durbijay Sharma, 50, appeared Friday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of hit-and-run injury, DUI and first-degree driving with a suspended or revoked license.
At 1:30 a.m. Thursday, Vancouver police responded to a crash in the 13200 block of Southeast Seventh Street. The victim said his vehicle had been struck from behind, and the suspect vehicle fled. Police found a license plate from the suspect vehicle underneath the victim’s vehicle, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The victim suffered a small cut on his forehead and complained of neck pain, but he didn’t want to speak with medical personnel. He said he’d go to his personal physician, the affidavit says.
Police ran the license plate and obtained the address for the registered owner. Upon responding to the address, they located the suspect vehicle with Sharma sitting in the driver’s seat, court records state.
“The vehicle had substantial damage to the hood, which is consistent with rear-ending another vehicle,” the affidavit reads.
In an interview with police, Sharma said he didn’t’ recall crashing and wasn’t sure what happened. He said he was coming from a friend’s house to pick up his wife. While talking with police, Sharma had a difficult time maintaining his balance, and officers noted an odor of intoxicants coming from him. He also struggled to follow simple instructions and stay focused, according to court documents.
Sharma agreed to take field sobriety tests, including the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk and turn, and one-leg stand; he performed poorly on each. He was then arrested on suspicion of DUI. Sharma denied he drank anything and said he doesn’t drink at all. He declined to give a breath or blood sample, the affidavit says.
A review of Sharma’s criminal history found he’s been convicted of DUI six times — five misdemeanors and one felony in July 2000, February 2001, May 2001, January 2006, October 2014 and December 2010, according to court records.
On Friday, Judge Daniel Stahnke set Sharma’s bail at $50,000. He will be arraigned June 12.
