A 26-year-old man who was under the influence of marijuana and another drug, according to police statements, is being held without bail after he hit a mother and a baby in a stroller last week in Grantsville.

Nathan Michael Craven is facing two counts of negligently operating with serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony, and use of synthetic urine, an infraction.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, Grantsville City Police officers responded to the corner of Meadow Lark Circle and West Clark Street on reports of an auto-pedestrian accident. Upon arrival, an officer reported that Craven had been identified as the driver in the incident, according to a probable cause statement written by the arresting officer.

The man told officers that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Video footage was collected from a neighboring house with a view of the intersection. The video showed a woman pushing a baby stroller containing her one-year-old son. The woman was followed by her two-year-old son who was riding a balance bike. The video showed the woman stopping at the corner and waiting for her son to catch up to her.

Once the child caught up to her, they could be seen checking for traffic and the son began to cross the street, followed by the mother. According to the pc statement, the boy made it across the street and the mother walked approximately 35 feet across the road when a vehicle could be seen rapidly turning from West Clark Street onto Meadow Lark Circle heading south. The vehicle turned at a high rate of speed into the opposite lane of travel, according to the pc statement.

The woman screamed and waved her arms to try to stop the vehicle, but the brake lights did not activate. The suspect’s vehicle struck the baby stroller with the front of the vehicle nearly in the center of the front bumper. The mother was also struck by the vehicle and thrown to the ground. The vehicle missed the balance bike by “mere inches,” according to the pc statement.

During the incident, no avoidance maneuver could be seen. The stroller flew over 43 feet and rolled on a sideways axis after rotating in the air. It reportedly landed on the west side curb and gutter of the road. The vehicle continued to drive a short distance, eventually coming to a stop 51 feet from the point of impact.

Craven, who was wearing a yellow construction shirt, could be seen on video exiting the vehicle and coming toward the mother and the stroller. The baby could be heard crying when the mother approached the stroller.

The one-year-old suffered from a large head contusion and was actively bleeding following the accident. He was rushed to a Salt Lake area hospital. The mother was also treated for injuries sustained in the incident.

An officer reported a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The suspect spoke to police about the odor and said he had a medical marijuana card and often transported marijuana in his vehicle. An officer asked him when he had last smoked, and he said the night before. Police observed the suspect to be rigid and nervous, while scanning his surroundings and speaking rapidly, according to the pc statement.

Craven was asked to submit to field sobriety tests. Police reported that his pupils were constricted “well beyond normal ranges.” He also made several mistakes in the field sobriety tests issued.

After the field sobriety tests, police asked Craven if he had used any other narcotics, which he denied. He told officers that he had drunk a lot of caffeine, but he was told that caffeine would not cause these types of physiological symptoms. Officers reported that they believed the suspect to be under the influence of cannabis and a CNS stimulant.

Craven was placed under arrest. He admitted to officers that he had a bottle of fake urine concealed in his groin area. When asked what it was for, Craven told officers that he kept it there in case of a random drug screening at work. An officer located the bottle tied in the drawstring of a pair of athletic shorts he was wearing under his jeans. There was also a Hot Hands style hand warmer tied around the bottle.

Craven was transported to the Grantsville Police Department where officers reported he was compliant with a DUI investigation and a blood draw. He was then transported to the Tooele County Detention Center to be booked.

The arresting officer reported that based upon the severity of the charges and obvious attempts to conceal drug use, that they believed the suspect to be a serious threat to public safety while operating a vehicle. They said: “There was no visual attempts to maneuver or avoid the mother and her child while driving recklessly. I believe that if released, [the suspect] will continue to use narcotics and continue to operate a vehicle while under the influence. Based on this information, I request Craven be held without bail.”

The judge agreed and signed an order to hold without bail.

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