A 59-year-old Sulphur Springs man was accused of drunk driving with his grandchild in the truck at the time of his arrest, according to arrest reports.
Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper George Greenway reported stopping a Chevrolet Silverado around 7:51 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, for driving 63 in a 55 mile per hour speed zone on State Highway 11. Upon contact with the driver, Greenway reported smelling a strong alcohol odor emitting from inside the pickup and noticed two open containers in the passenger’s lap.
Once out of the truck, Guy Anthony Pruitt was noted to be unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitted from the 59-year-old’s breath. The Sulphur Springs man’s eyes were also constricted and slow to respond to light, he showed clues of intoxication during standard field sobriety testing, Greenway alleged. In fact, the trooper noted, he did not attempt to have Pruitt conduct the walk and turn and one-legged stand tests due to his “extreme unsteadiness” on his feet and the man claiming he couldn’t due to injuries. The trooper indicated he feared Pruitt would fall if he attempted the more physically challenging tests on SFSTs. Horizontal gaze nystagmus tests were administered, but all attempts were performed incorrectly, Greenway alleged in arrest reports.
Pruitt’s grandchild was reported to be in the back seat of the truck. The child and vehicle were released to the child’s grandmother. Pruitt was transported to the county jail, where he tested 0.138 and 0.130 on breath tests, well over the 0.08 legal limit. Pruitt was booked into Hopkins County jail Sept. 3, 2022, on driving while intoxicated with a child passenger, his grandchild, and open container charges.
Greenway noted after releasing Pruitt to jail staff, a review of Pruitt’s criminal history showed one previous arrest with conviction, according to arrest reports. Jail reports, however, show Sept. 5, 2022, was the first time Pruitt has been booked into Hopkins County jail.
Pruitt was released from Hopkins County jail Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, on a $5,000 bond on the DWI charges, according to jail reports.
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.
