Driver facing multiple felony charges for substances
A Brown County man has been charged with three felonies after dispatch received multiple 911 calls about his vehicle.
The incident occurred on June 16, but charges were filed on Dec. 2.
Capt. Michael Moore stopped Daniel Majors Sr., 59, of Christianburg Road for driving left of center. Police had received several calls about a possible impaired driver.
The police report said Majors was visibly impaired, unable to stand still and balance. He told police he was on many medications and had a stack of paperwork. He submitted to a chemical test and was taken to Columbus Regional Health for a blood draw.
Results showed 7-Aminoclonazepam (a tranquilizer), amphetamine (a stimulant), methamphetamine, THC and THC-COOH (cannabis) in his system, the police report said.
Majors was charged this month with three Level 6 felonies, for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, operating a vehicle while intoxicated — endangering a person and operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in the body.
Man arrested on drunken driving charges
Police arrested a Trafalgar man on Sept. 19 after a caller reported a possibly impaired driver.
Trooper Matt Hatchett stopped the vehicle on State Road 46 East near Town Hill Road after callers reported a vehicle tailgating other drivers, nearly rear-ending them and running off the road.
John Smith, 63, was the driver. Hatchett reported that Smith smelled of alcohol, his speech was slurred, his eyes were red and watery and there was a wine bottle on the passenger floorboard.
Smith told police he had not consumed any alcohol. He staggered as he walked from the vehicle and refused a chemical test, the report said. He was placed into handcuffs and taken to Bloomington Hospital for a blood draw before going to the Brown County jail.
Deputy Josh Stargell stayed at the scene for a wrecker to tow and impound the vehicle. While doing vehicle inventory, Stargell reported finding a mostly empty wine bottle, a Pizza-X cup that smelled of alcohol and a corkscrew in the glove compartment.
Smith was charged on Dec. 4 with two Class A misdemeanors for operating a vehicle while intoxicated — endangering a person and operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more; and a Class C misdemeanor for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Nashville man arrested for public intoxication
Officers arrested a man downtown after callers reported he was walking around drinking and yelling at people.
Officer Heather Burris was dispatched to Jefferson and Washington streets on Oct. 13 on reports of a man, later identified as Joshua Burton, 32, of North Jefferson Street, drinking a bottle of alcohol and yelling at construction workers that he was going to “cut their heads off.”
Burris found Burton on the front porch of Trilogy Gallery with alcohol in a brown bag. Burris said Burton was pale and sweating, wearing a heavy sweatshirt on a hot day, and she could smell alcohol on his breath.
Burton told the officer he was homeless and didn’t have anywhere to go. He said he had been kicked out of his mother’s house the night before. He said he did not care if he went to jail.
Burris also got two written statements from staff in the probation office who had reported earlier in the day that he was spouting vulgarities and being loud. He was asked to leave that office.
Burton was charged on Dec. 2 with public intoxication, a Class B misdemeanor.
Additional charges filed against local woman
A local woman was arrested on a marijuana possession warrant in Nashville and picked up two new charges related to the drug.
On Dec. 6, Nashville Officer Cody Poynter ran plates on a vehicle parked at Speedway during regular patrol and found it was registered to Kyle Marchuk, 45, of Porter Road. Marchuk had an active Brown County warrant for possession of marijuana.
Poynter stopped Marchuk at Old State Road 46 and Memorial Drive, asked her to step out and handcuffed her. Poynter wrote in his report that he could smell the odor of marijuana on her.
Poynter told Marchuk about the warrant and asked if she had any marijuana in the vehicle. She said yes. Poynter reported finding marijuana, a smoking pipe and vape pen in the car.
Marchuk was taken to the Brown County jail. She was charged on Dec. 7 with possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor; and possession of paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor.
Traffic enforcement to increase during holidays
Brown County Sheriff Office announced Dec. 16 it will increase patrols during the holiday season as part of the winter Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national enforcement mobilization. Through Jan. 1, officers will be showing zero tolerance for impaired drivers, whether it’s alcohol or drugs, and will be on the lookout for unbuckled motorists.
During the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods in 2018, there were more drunk-driving-related fatalities than any other holiday period that year in the United STates. Last December in Indiana, there were 415 alcohol-related crashes, resulting in 105 injuries and 11 fatalities.
In every state, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or higher. In Indiana, drivers younger than 21 with a BAC of 0.02 or higher are subject to fines and a license suspension for up to one year.
Impaired driving includes more than alcohol. Drugs and even some over-the-counter medications can also cause impairment, and can slow coordination, judgment and reaction times on the road.
To further save lives and prevent traffic fatalities, officers will also be watching for seat belt violations.
