Sun Valley police arrested a Hailey man early Sunday morning for allegedly driving while intoxicated and taking a vehicle that didn't belong to him.
Police Chief Cameron Daggett said 21-year-old Godofredo Taipe-Quispe faces misdemeanor charges of excessive DUI and driving a vehicle without the owner's permission. Taipe-Quispe was arrested around 2 a.m. Sunday and transported to the Blaine County Jail.
Daggett said Taipe-Quispe was eastbound on Sun Valley Road when a Sun Valley police officer pulled him over for not having his headlights on. While questioning the suspect, the officer received a report that the vehicle Taipe-Quispe was allegedly driving was reported stolen from Ketchum.
Daggett said the vehicle owner had started his car and left it unattended while it was warming up. He said Taipe-Quispe is not facing a stolen vehicle charge because he is acquainted with the vehicle's owner.
The case is the second such incident in Sun Valley in just more than a month.
James R. Bullis, a 42-year-old Sun Valley man, was arrested in the early morning hours of Dec. 23, 2006, for allegedly driving while intoxicated and taking a vehicle without the owner's permission. That vehicle was also left unattended with the key in the ignition.
Daggett said vehicle owners need to be careful about leaving cars running and unattended.
Violators are rarely cited, but Daggett said "there is an Idaho State Code that says you can't leave your keys in your car unattended."
He said an owner could face liability or insurance problems if the keys are left in the vehicle and it's stolen.
