Baker University’s Student Activities Council hosted the event “Intersection of Two Lives” Monday, March 4, in Allen Dining Hall. The event featured a presentation on drunk driving by detective Jay Armbrister of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Armbrister told the stories of Cameron Freeman and Zachary Harrison.

Freeman was a college student who lived in Nebraska but was in town for a concert with some of his friends. When Freeman and his friends were driving out of Lawrence after going to a concert and a house party, the car they were driving was struck by a stolen vehicle which Harrison was driving.

Harrison was a member of the U.S. Air Force and was at a bar in Lawrence with his brother and his friends but decided to leave without them. All Harrison remembers of the accident was that he “hit something really hard,” and that something was the vehicle Freeman was in with three of his friends.

The vehicle was rear-ended and the impact killed Freeman, who was sitting in back seat. Harrison was not found on the scene when police arrived, but was eventually found, arrested and sentenced to six years in prison.

Harrison’s blood alcohol level was .180. The legal limit is .08. Armbrister reminded those in attendance that “it doesn’t take that much (alcohol consumption)” for something to happen,” and “mature acts,” such as drinking, “aren’t always enacted by mature people.”

Armbrister said you should always have a plan and if you feel you are too drunk to drive, call a family member, friend or even the police to come get you.

“Bad acts are not always committed by bad people,” Armbrister said. “If you drink, don’t drive.”

Armbrister felt that he could use this incident as a message to people who can use it.

“Me going out and giving this presentation is better than the case just sitting on a shelf,” Armbrister said.

Most of his presentations have been in Lincoln, Neb., Freeman’s hometown. However, Armbrister wanted to bring this closer to his community in Douglas County, starting with Baker. Armbrister hopes he can go even farther with these presentations and said he is willing to go almost anywhere.