After hearing testimony and arguments over a day and a half, a Jefferson County jury found Corey D. Jensen guilty of four counts March 23. The trial was punctuated by several interruptions to deal with unusual circumstances, some of which the jury did not hear. Jensen was convicted by the six-man, six-woman jury of DUI, two counts of criminal endangerment, and possessing an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. He was acquitted of a charge of eluding peace officers.
Prosecutor Andrew Paul, an experienced trial attorney recently hired as a Jefferson County Deputy County Attorney, called a string of law enforcement officials to the witness stand. They said Jensen was driving a lime green Dodge Challenger roughly 125 miles on Interstate 15 near Jefferson City when officers began pursuit. Despite law enforcement lights and sirens, Jensen continued to drive at similar speeds until he was stopped near the Woodville exit, about 30 miles later, said the officers.
Once stopped, he gave permission to search his car and a convenience store cup was found that multiple officers said smelled “very strongly” of alcohol. They also testified that his breath smelled of alcohol. At his arrest, “He admitted at that time that it was Pepsi and Jim Beam whiskey,” said Highway Patrol Sgt. Dave Oliverson. Jensen failed a field sobriety test, officers testified, and a test of his blood-alcohol level (BAC) resulted in a reading of .082, said witnesses. The legal limit is .08.
