Laramie police arrested a taxi driver on suspicion of driving while under the influence (DWUI) on March 6 after a crash he was involved in sent a passenger to the Medical Center of the Rockies with a neck injury.
After arriving on the scene of the crash on the 400 block of Boswell drive, Craig Lenhardt with the Laramie Police Department smelled an “overwhelming odor of a flavored alcoholic beverage emitting from his mouth,” according to an affidavit of probable cause. Taxi driver James Rollman then failed two field sobriety tests, and was arrested and brought to Ivinson Memorial Hospital for a blood sample. Lenhardt determined Rollman operated the vehicle “without the proper license and endorsement and driver’s license.”
The van operated by Rollman drove “up the barrier pole and the front right wheel assembly of the van was torn off by the speed and firmness of the barrier pole,” according to court documents. The van then rolled over and came to a rest on its three remaining wheels eighteen feet from the barrier pole it collided with. Rollman said a deer ran across the road, causing the accident. Lenhardt “checked the scene of the crime and did not observe any hooved animal tracks.”
Rollman has three prior driving under the influence charges, all from the last ten years. According to agenda documentation from Jackson, he also had his taxi operator’s permit permanently revoked in Jackson after allegedly committing larceny against his customer and consuming alcohol while engaged in “ground transportation operations.”
This incident occurred while Rollman was on bond for his last DWUI arrest in February. He faces a felony charge, driving while under the influence (resulting in serious bodily injury), as well as two misdemeanors, reckless driving and failure to drive within lane.
Snowy Range Taxi, one of Rollman’s competitors, wrote an official statement on March 7. In the statement, the owners of the taxi service, Matthew Brammer and Chantell Brawley, said they were aware of the problem for two years and the Laramie Police Department dismissed their allegations as “simple accusations of a competitor.”
“All of us at Snowy Range Taxi, LLC are outraged that it has come down to this. We have tried for two years to warn the community, the LPD, WYDOT, the City of Laramie and anyone else who might listen, about his past, his behavior, his unprofessionalism and recently, his illegal operation in general,” Brammer and Brawley said.
The owners also said Rollman was reported dozens of times for accidents, thefts and drunk driving over the last two years.
Dustin Hunt, the nights and weekends transit supervisor for SafeRide, said the best way to make sure the driver of a vehicle you are entering is not intoxicated is by talking to them and making your best judgment. He also said if you find yourself in a vehicle with a drunk driver, you should attempt to get out of the vehicle in a calm manner. If this does not work, the next step is contacting the authorities.
“If you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation in a car with a drunk driver, the first step is to try and get the driver to pull over as calmly as possible, and leave the vehicle. If that doesn’t work, the next step would be to contact police,” Hunt said. “Either way, you can then call SafeRide for a ride home if the incident is late on a weekend night.”
Rollman is being held at the Albany County Detention Center on a $20,000 cash bond.
James Rollman is suspected of driving under the influence and causing severe bodily harm to a passenger. He operated a taxi under the company “ABC Taxi”, and has been charged with three previous driving under the influence charges.
