Officer Safely Dodges Collision

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) — A Scottsbluff man faces sentencing in Scotts Bluff County Court after entering a no-contest plea to an amended drunken driving charge following an August traffic stop.

Cameron C. Garcia entered a no-contest plea before County Judge Mark L. Kovarik to DUI (.08 blood or breath alcohol concentration, first offense), a Class W misdemeanor, as part of a plea agreement. The charge was reduced from the original count of DUI with a concentration of .15 or greater. On the motion of prosecutor David Eubanks, the court dismissed a secondary infraction charge of failure to yield the right of way after stopping.

The case stems from an Aug. 7 incident at approximately 10:18 p.m. near Avenue B and West Railway Street in Scottsbluff. According to an arrest affidavit, a patrolling officer observed a green BMW without license plates or in-transit tags fail to yield properly at a stop sign and pull directly in front of the patrol vehicle, forcing the officer to brake hard to avoid a collision.

After initiating a traffic stop, officers contacted Garcia, the vehicle’s sole occupant. Law enforcement noted a strong odor of alcohol, bloodshot and watery eyes, and slurred speech. Garcia admitted to drinking alcohol and showed multiple indicators of impairment during field sobriety tests. A subsequent chemical breath test returned a result of 0.198, more than twice the standard legal limit of 0.08.

Defense attorney Brent A. Hansen represents Garcia.

Judge Kovarik accepted the no-contest plea, found Garcia guilty and ordered that any application for probation require a completed alcohol and substance abuse evaluation before sentencing.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 24, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in Scotts Bluff County Courtroom 1.