A Wellington father who caused the death of his 4-year-old son when he drove his pickup into a lake while drunk in October, pleaded guilty Tuesday to automobile homicide.
Zachary Scott Bird, 25, pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony charge in 7th District Court in Castle Dale.
He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 2 by Judge George Harmond.
Bird had told police he had “a couple” of drinks Oct. 2, before his pickup went down an embankment in Emery County’s Fairview Canyon and landed in Electric Lake, according to charging documents.
Bird’s 4-year-old son, Braxton, was not in a car seat and was thrown from the truck, according to court documents. A passer-by found the boy in the water and performed CPR for 20 minutes but was unable to resuscitate him.
A toxicology report later showed Zachary Bird’s blood alcohol level was 0.10 percent, which is above Utah’s legal limit of 0.08. He was also traveling about 70 mph just prior to losing control of the pickup. The posted speed limit was 45 mph.
Bird also was driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash because of a previous DUI conviction.
Five misdemeanor charges against Bird were dismissed as part of a plea agreement: Having an open alcoholic container in a car; operating a vehicle without insurance; driving on a suspended license; unlawful purchase of alcohol by an interdicted person and; failure to register a towed vehicle.
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