Tesla employee arrested on DUI after careening Model 3 down embankment in Morgan Hill
Colin Flynn, 38, of Santa Cruz and Telsa 3 at the bottom of an embankment in Morgan Hill. Photo: police
MORGAN HILL, Calif. - A Tesla employee was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after Morgan Hill police say he careened a Model 3 down an embankment by Coyote Creek, police said.
Colin Flynn, 38, of Santa Cruz also was arrested for allegedly delaying an investigation as he refused to provide any kind of sample for an alcohol test, police said in a Facebook post. Efforts to immediately find Flynn were unsuccessful.
Flynn was driving on Cochrane Road near Malaguerra Avenue when the crash occurred around 3:45 a.m. Saturday, police said, adding that the Model 3 came to rest partially submerged in the creek, about 60 to 70 feet from Cochrane Road. Flynn was not injured.
In a Facebook post about the case, police said Flynn initially claimed he had crashed after swerving to miss a deer.
A Colin Flynn, identifying as a Tesla associate manager of home-charging installation, has used a Tesla company email address to answer a question asked on a Model 3-related online forum, the Mercury News reported.
Flynn was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and delaying an investigation.
The Tesla was removed from the creek later that morning, which police described as "no easy task" on the department's Facebook page.
It wasn't immediately clear if Flynn owned the Model 3 or not.