Local officers made 6 DWI arrests in six days, including 2 on Saturday and two involving wreck, and arrested a 36-year-old for violating probation on a felony DWI charge, according to arrest reports.
East Shannon Road Crash
Included among the individuals named in the DWI arrests was a 38-year-old Sulphur Springs man reported to have crashed a Lexus at 11:10 p.m. Friday night on East Shannon Road.
Upon arrival, officers contacted the man, on whom they reported smelling a strong alcoholic beverage odor. The man also was alleged to have slurred speech, glassy eyes and to have been unsteady on his feet.
When police attempted to administer standard field sobriety tests, the man allegedly refused to attempt them. He was taken into custody by Sulphur Springs Police for further investigation of DWI; the car was impounded.
The 28-year-old allegedly refused to submit to breath or blood tests, resulting in police seeking and obtaining a blood search warrant requiring the draw. The warrant was executed and the man was booked into Hopkins County jail on a Class A misdemeanor charge of DWI with previous conviction.
He was released from Hopkins County jail later Saturday, Sept. 17, on a $2,000 bond on the DWI-second offense charge.
State Highway 11 West Arrest
Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped to check out a Dodge Ram pickup left running in a driveway a State Highway 11 west driveway at 2:25 a.m. Oct. 17. The passenger side tires and rims of the truck appeared to the deputies to be damaged.
Upon approach, a deputy reported seeing a man asleep in the driver’s seat and an odor of alcohol emitted from the pickup. Upon awakening, the man appeared disoriented and confused as to where he was, claiming he had pulled over to take a nap.
The man was asked to step out of the truck to be arrested for public intoxication. He stepped out and allegedly admitted to having a pistol in the truck. As he stepped out, he was unsteady on his feet. When asked to perform standard field sobriety tests, the 25-year-old rural Sulphur Springs resident admitted he had consumed alcoholic beverages and wouldn’t be able to pass.
The man agreed to allow a blood sample to be drawn for testing, then was transported to jail, where he was arrested for driving while intoxicated and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He was released from jail later Saturday on a $1,000 bond on the DWI charge and a $2,000 bond on the weapon charge.
Jail records show Saturday wasn’t the first time he’s been jailed in Hopkins County on intoxication and weapons charges.
He was jailed Jan. 10, 2016 for unlawful carrying of a weapon and DWI with an open container, and Feb. 9, 2020 for public intoxication.
FM 1537 Crash
A sheriff’s deputy responding to a report of a traffic crash on FM 1537, east of County Road 3505, found what appeared to be an overturned Toyota Camry in the ditch on the south side of FM 1537 at 3:09 a.m. Oct. 16. Upon approach, the airbags in the car appeared to be deployed.
Upon contact with the driver, the deputy alleged he could smell an alcohol odor on the woman. The 30-year-old Sulphur Springs woman complained of chest pains, so she was transported by EMS to the hospital for treatment.
The deputy contacted the woman at the hospital; she displayed 6 clues of intoxication on horizontal gaze nystagmus tests. Due to her complaints of major chest pain she was unable to perform standard field sobriety tests.
She allegedly refused to submit to a blood draw for analysis so the deputy sought and obtained a blood search warrant requiring the blood draw. The sample was taken. After she was discharged for the hospital, she was transported to Hopkins County jail and booked for DWI.
She was released from Hopkins County jail Saturday on a $1,000 bond on the misdemeanor DWI charge.
Interstate 30 East Traffic Stop
A Department of Public Safety trooper reported seeing a Chevrolet Malibu traveling at 98 miles per hour on Interstate 30. The trooper caught up to the eastbound car at mile marker 141 around 11:50 p.m. Oct. 15; it was reportedly being driven erratically, swerving all over the road and had sped up to 112 miles per hour in a 75 mph speed zone. The car was reportedly slowed, almost stopping in the middle of I-30 before eventually moving onto the shoulder and stopping.
Upon contact, the highway patrol trooper reported seeing a large open glass bottle of Patron Silver directly behind the driver’s seat. The driver, a 24-year-old Mount Pleasant man, was reported to have red, glassy eyes, and slurred speech. Alcohol emitted from the driver, according to arrest reports. The driver allegedly exhibited numerous clues of intoxication during standard field sobriety testing. He tested 0.149 on a portable breath test, well over the 0.08 legal limit.
Consequently, the Mount Pleasant man was arrested for DWI-open container. He refused to provide a blood sample for analysis, so the trooper obtained a search warrant requiring one. The sample was taken at the hospital, and the man was taken to jail. He was released from Hopkins County jail at 3:25 a.m. Oct. 16 and released later Oct. 16 on a $1,000 bond.
I-30 West Traffic Stop
A 33-year-old Douglassville man was arrested for DWI with open container at 9:19 p.m. Oct. 14 on I-30 west near mile post 137.
A DPS trooper spotted a Toyota Tacoma traveling 98 miles per hour in a 75 mph speed zone. Before he could catch up to the truck to initiate a traffic stop, the trooper alleged seeing the truck erratically changed lanes, swerving out of its lane and almost sideswipe an 18-wheeler as it passed the truck-trailer rig. The pickup was also alleged to be traveling too close to other traffic, almost running into the back of another 18-wheeler. When the trooper turned on his patrol vehicle’s emergency light, the car was immediately pulled off the road into the grass next to the shoulder.
The trooper alleged smelling an alcohol odor on driver, who he claimed spoke with slow, heavily slurred speech and had red, glazed eyes. A cold, open can of Busch beer was visible in the cup holder. The man, upon exiting the vehicle appeared to the trooper to be slow and unsteady on his feet. The man was unable to complete standard field sobriety tests. The Douglassville man reportedly flopped onto the ground and began convulsing and screaming that he was having a panic attack and “couldn’t do this.”
The trooper reported controlling the man on the ground and got him calmed down. Believing based on previous testing and observing that the man was intoxicated, the trooper determined it would be unsafe for the man to try to continue testing.
He was advised he was under arrest. EMS arrived to evaluate the man and determined he was fit for jail. The man reportedly agreed to a blood sample for analysis. A blood specimen was taken by the EMS on scene, packaged, and the man was jailed around midnight or DWI-open container.
The 32-year-old was released from Hopkins county jail later Oct. 15 on a $1,000 bond on the charge.
Airport Road Traffic Stop
A 31-year-old Sulphur Springs man was arrested at 2:44 a.m. Oct. 13 on Airport Road at Church Street for driving while intoxicated. A deputy reported stopping him for failure to signal 100 feet prior to a turn.
A records check showed the driver to have an active Hopkins County warrant for DWI. The Sulphur Springs man was taken into custody and jailed on the warrant; the Ford Taurus he was driving was impounded.
He was released from Hopkins County jail later Oct. 13 on a $1,000 bond on the Class B misdemeanor DWI charge.
Warrant Arrest
Matthew William West, 36, of Sulphur Springs turned himself in on a felony warrant at the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office lobby at 6:41 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12.
West was escorted by Deputy Justin Wilkerson into the jail, where he was booked on the warrant for violation of probation which he was on for a June 15, 2019 driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 years of age charge. The offense was alleged to have occurred on Oct. 7.
The 36-year-old Sulphur Springs man remained in Hopkins County jail on the charge Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020.
KSST does not publish the names or photos of people charged with misdemeanor crimes in staff-generated reports, only those accused of felony offenses.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
KSSTRadio.com publishes Sulphur Springs Police Department reports and news. The Police Department is located at 125 Davis St., Sulphur Springs, Texas. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 885-7602.
If you have an emergency dial 9-1-1.
The Sulphur Springs Police Department continues to serve its citizens with pride in its overall mission and will strive to provide the best possible police force in the 21st century.
If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1
The Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office is located at 298 Rosemont Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. You can reach them for non-emergency matters at (903) 438-4040.
