Drunk teen who stole a cop car and crashed blames the deputy in a New Mexico lawsuit
A teenage girl from Farmington, New Mexico is suing a deputy after she stole his patrol car and crashed.
Samaria Gray stole a car in 2017 and crashed into three cars, according to KRQE. Gray was 16 years old at the time.
A woman had flagged down a deputy because her daughter was drunk, the news outlet reported in 2017. He put the teen in the back of his car and she kicked out the window, stole it, and began driving.
Gray drove into a ditch and hit a fence, the Farmington Daily Times reported. She was taken to the University of Mexico Hospital for her injuries.
Gray is suing the deputy, saying that he “had a duty to secure the scene and make sure everyone was safe,” according to KRQE.
Gray is suing for “negligent infliction of emotional distress, loss of consortium, and negligence resulting in personal injury/battery,” according to the Farmington Daily Times. The lawsuit claims Cpl. Cody Decker had a “duty to place Gray in protective custody and not allow her to have access to the vehicle to drive off with it.”
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to KRQE’s requests for comment. Farmington Daily Times reported the sheriff’s office “denies most of the allegations related to the incident, admitting Gray was not restrained in the vehicle but denying it was a ‘failure.’”
Gray “did plead guilty to DWI and completed a counseling program,” KRQE reported.
