A 32-year-old man has been charged with criminal operation of his vehicle after he allegedly left the scene of a single-car accident with his injured passenger after landing his sedan in a garden near Skinner’s Hill.

Almer Joe Mitchell has been charged with three counts of felony criminal vehicular operation following the incident, in which a witness said Mitchell had tried and failed to “jump Skinner’s Hill” at 80 mph, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at the time.

The complaint said police found Mitchell’s 1995 Nissan Maxima in a garden southwest of the intersection of Ninth Place and Second Drive Southwest around 3:54 a.m. May 17.

No one was inside the “extremely damaged” vehicle, which police suspected had been heading eastbound on Ninth Street when it crossed Fourth Street at a high rate of speed, likely causing it to missed a northerly curve and go airborne.

The complaint said the car struck a tree about 30-40 feet away from the embankment.

Police searched the vehicle to find Mitchell’s insurance card and an empty bottle of Oxycodone prescribed to him. Police combed the area with no results, the complaint states.

A short time later, however, officers learned that Mitchell had made his way to his Second Street Southeast address, where they located the passenger of the vehicle.

The 35-year-old said the two had been drinking at a friend’s before the accident, the complaint said. Though he refused transport to Austin Medical Center, examinations done later found that he’d suffered a compressed disk and had glass in his eye, according to the complaint.

Authorities found Mitchell downstairs; noticing cuts and bruises on his face and head he was taken to AMC. A witness at the house told police that Mitchell called her after the accident, saying, “I can’t jump Skinner’s Hill at 80 mph,” the complaint said. She met him at the house just before police arrived.

The complaint said Mitchell was belligerent and uncooperative when interviewed later at AMC. He allegedly smelled of alcohol, and admitted to drinking three beers. He also said he dragged the passenger from the car, the complaint stated.

Mitchell’s next court date is May 29. His bail is set at $25,000 or $5,000 conditional. The maximum penalty for his crime is three years in prison and/or $10,000 in fines.