Dawuan Johnson’s Blood Alcohol Content was Above 0.15 During L’Anse Semi Truck Accident

We have received more information regarding the semi truck accident in L’Anse that killed one man, and destroyed the Holiday Gas station on US -41, on October 13th. According a police report obtained from the Michigan State Police, Dawaun Johnson had a blood alcohol content above 0.15, when his blood was sampled at 2 am, October 14^th.

Officers arrived and quickly began to secure the scene, shutting down the road and clearing civilians from the area. MSP Trooper Rachel Roose found one woman, later identified as a Holiday Gas station employee, walking along the road away from the ensuing fire. She reported to police that she and one man escaped from inside the building, through the front door, as the building’s emergency exit was blocked by debris.

The customer in the building stopped to purchase a lottery ticket after work, and was getting a ride from a co-worker. The co-worker, waiting outside in the gas station parking lot, had seen the headlights of the semi truck coming down the hill into town. Noticing that it was rocking back and fourth, and would crash. She then drove quickly out of the lot, and headed toward the L’Anse fire hall to alert first responders.

Each witness did note that a pick up truck was parked near a gas pump, shortly before the crash. None identified if anyone was outside of the vehicle during the incident, while they escaped the premises. Al Dantes Junior was later identified as the victim in the vehicle. L’Anse Fire Fighter Kevin Knight, pulled Dantes from the truck. Dantes was transported to Baraga County Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

While fire crews began to control the blaze, police officers, Trooper Roose and Trooper Tobin Wheeler, initiated their interviews with the driver of the semi, Johnson, and the passenger, who’s name was redacted from the police report. The passenger, who was being trained by Johnson to drive semi-trucks loads for C.R.England trucking, reported that the two had set out for the day starting in Wisconsin. The trainee was driving in order to acquire training hours, and the pair drove to Illinois for a pick up, before setting out for Dollar Tree in Houghton. Approximately a half hour before the incident, the trainee reached his allotted driving hours for the day, and asked Johnson to take over. The trainee says he was not aware if Johnson had been drinking, and had not seen him with anything during the day. But he did note that the pair stopped at a Walmart earlier in the day, and Johnson spent a few extra minutes in the store. The trainee said he supposed that Johnson could have bought alcohol there, but did not see anything to indicate he had.

The police then began to interview Johnson when he told them that he had been feeling sleepy after taking over the wheel, but he knew they were close to their destination. During the interview Johnson reported, they had left Joliet, Illinois between 1 and 2pm, for Houghton. When speaking with Johnson in his patrol car, the officer noted smelling alcohol on his person. The office then asked what Johnson had been doing when the trainee had been driving during the day. He responded that he sat in the passenger seat, before retiring to the truck’s cabin to relax on his phone.

Johnson was then taken the  Baraga County Sheriff’s office for a field sobriety test, and breathalyzer. During the field sobriety test, Johnson was noted to struggle with tracking the officer’s finger tip with his eyes, the finger to nose test, and counting backwards. He was then arrested, and had a blood sample drawn at 1:57 am. A warrant was issued by the court for police to search the contents of the destroyed semi truck, where they found a half empty E & J Brandy bottle behind the driver’s seat.Johnson blood same came back positive for a BAC 0.156.

The passenger was re-contacted, and notified that Johnson had been drinking. The passenger appeared very upset by the news, stating that Johnson was supposed to be training him, how dumb it was to drink, because the two would have had the weekend off. Johnson is currently charged with operating a vehicle causing death, operating a vehicle causing serious injury, and having an open alcohol container in a vehicle. He is scheduled to appear in court December 13^th for a preliminary examination. Baraga County Prosecutor, Joseph O’Leary, told us this morning that he has requested that MSP investigators thoroughly examine the route the pair took during the day. And he anticipates additional charges, following the investigator’s final report.