On September 2, just before 11:00 p.m., Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies involved in the DUI special patrol were dispatched to the 2400 block of North Ewin Drive, in Prescott. The call indicated a man was seen running from a vehicle now abandoned in the middle of the street.
Deputies found a blue 2004 Chevrolet truck in the roadway with the ignition keys still intact, the engine off and the transmission in drive. An initial search of the area for the missing driver was unsuccessful. Inside the vehicle, deputies located several items of paraphernalia with marijuana residue along with a wallet belonging to 18-year-old William Hanson of Prescott.
Deputies contacted the registered owner of the vehicle by phone who explained that his son, William Hanson, had been given permission to use the vehicle around 4:00 p.m.
As the investigation continued, deputies were called to the 3000 block of Wisdom Way, Prescott, regarding a nude man who had entered a home and was now in the reporting party’s bedroom. This was approximately a quarter mile from the scene on Ewin Drive. Deputies arrived and found William Hanson in the homeowner’s bedroom. He was nude, incoherent and told deputies he had consumed acid. Due to his condition, medical personnel were called and Hanson was transported to Yavapai Regional Medical Center. The resident indicated Hanson apparently entered his home through an unlocked door and was discovered after banging noises were heard in the house.
The following day, September 3, 2017, deputies interviewed Hanson after he was released from the hospital. He admitted licking an acid tab along with his female passenger while parked in an area near Granite Basin. Hanson could not recall any events following the ingestion, including the circumstances occurring after he abandoned the truck. Hanson was arrested and booked into the Camp Verde Detention Center on charges including Possession of a Dangerous Drug, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Trespassing, and DUI with Drugs. He has since been released on a $4000 bond.
Hanson’s female passenger, a minor, has since been located and admitted to ingesting acid with Hanson who was somehow able to drop her off near her home in Prescott. Charges against her will be submitted to juvenile authorities for review.