A Carter County man faces multiple charges after police say he was driving under the influence with two small children in his car.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Brad Proffitt arrested Joshua Eggers, 36, of 1541 Southside Road, Elizabethton, late Monday night and charged him with driving under the influence, violation of the implied consent law, felony child endangerment, and third offense driving on a suspended license.
According to court documents, Proffitt was traveling on West Elk Avenue around 11:30 p.m. Monday when he encountered a black Mercedes.
“I observed the vehicle travel over, touch, go past, and ride the fog line five times or more,” Proffitt said. “The vehicle touched the center line twice and also rode in the middle of the road for a brief period.”
As Proffitt watched, the car stopped at a red light at the intersection of West Elk Avenue and West G Street.
“The light turned green, and the vehicle sat there for at least a period of one minute before proceeding on,” Proffitt said.
Proffitt performed a traffic stop on the car near Cyclone Drive and identified the driver as Eggers. While speaking with Eggers, Proffitt noted the man fumbled for his license for a while then said he did not have a license.
“I detected the odor of alcohol emitting from the vehicle and asked if he had been drinking,” Proffitt said. “He stated yes. I asked him how many he had drunk. He said a couple of beers.
“I asked his passenger if she knew he had been drinking and she stated no,” Proffitt added. “I noticed that there were two small children sleeping in the back seat — a 6-year-old female and a 4-year-old male.”
Proffitt asked Eggers to perform field sobriety tests, and noted Eggers was unsteady on his feet and staggered when he walked. Proffitt then arrested Eggers and transported him to the Carter County Detention Center.
Eggers appeared in Carter County General Sessions Court on Tuesday morning for arraignment.
Judge Keith Bowers Jr. appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Eggers. Bowers also set Eggers’ bond as a $1,500 corporate bond and scheduled him to return to court on April 18.