A Hampton man faces criminal charges after police say he was found slumped over the steering wheel of a running vehicle.
Officers of the Elizabethton Police Department arrested James Arnold, 37, of 509 Highway 321, Hampton, on Wednesday and charged him with second offense driving under the influence and violation of financial responsibility.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, officers of the EPD responded to the area of 1235 Bluefield Avenue in reference to a welfare check.
“Communication Center advised the caller stated a male subject was asleep in the driver’s seat of a truck with a burning cigarette in his mouth,” EPD Cpl. Kirk Carrier said. “The caller advised they tried to wake the subject but was unsuccessful.”
Carrier said when he arrived at the scene he saw a Ford Ranger pickup sitting stationary in front of the Lynnwood / Lynnridge Apartments Office Building with a man, later identified as Arnold, slumped forward in the driver’s seat.
“As I approached the vehicle I observed that the vehicle was running and Mr. Arnold had a large amount of cigarette ash on the front of his shirt and a cigarette in his mouth burned to the filter,” Carrier said.
Carrier said he repeatedly knocked on the window trying to awaken the man but received no response.
“I could not tell if Mr. Arnold was breathing or determine his well-being, so I opened the driver’s door and began to shake the subject’s arm,” Carrier said. “After repeated attempts and several verbal announcements, Mr. Arnold began to show signs of response.”
“As Mr. Arnold came to, his foot came off the brake, and the truck began to roll into the roadway,” Carrier added. “Officer (Paul) Pritchard and Cpl. (James) Sexton were able to stop the vehicle from completely entering the roadway long enough for me to turn off the engine and place the vehicle in gear.”
While speaking with Arnold, Carrier noted the man was slow to respond to questions, his movements were slow, his eyes were heavy and glassy, and he was unstable on his feet. Carrier had Arnold perform a series of field sobriety tests and noted Arnold’s performance was “consistent with that of a person under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.”
Officers placed Arnold under arrest and transported him to the Carter County Detention Center where he is currently being held without bond pending a court appearance.