Army Pfc. Earl Lamont Evans Jr., 22, of the 10th Support Group at Torii Station on Okinawa, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (Pixabay)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Japanese police arrested a U.S. soldier assigned to Torii Station over the weekend on suspicion of drunken driving after his vehicle sideswiped another on a busy Okinawa thoroughfare, a police spokesman said Tuesday.
Pfc. Earl Lamont Evans Jr., 22, of the 10th Support Group, was still in Okinawa prefectural police custody Tuesday, a spokesman in Urasoe said by phone. Evans was detained shortly after the incident around 7:20 a.m. Sunday on Route 58.
Police said Evans was southbound when his vehicle struck the passenger side of another vehicle traveling in the same direction about 40 minutes south of Torii Station. The other driver was uninjured, the spokesman said.
Evans’ blood-alcohol content, measured by a Breathalyzer, was 0.06% at the scene, twice the legal limit for driving in Japan, the spokesman said. By comparison, all 50 U.S. states have set 0.08 as the legal limit for driving under the influence or while impaired.
Police declined to provide further information on either vehicle, including damage. Some government officials in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Police forwarded Evans’ case to prosecutors on Monday, the spokesman said. Evans denied driving under the influence.
If convicted of violating Japanese traffic law, he faces a maximum five years in prison or a $7,400 fine.
