A one-car accident last week fortunately only resulted in the arrest of the driver and not injuries to him or his 3-year-old passenger.
Mark Anthony Dunkley, 44, of McDonough, was arrested Nov. 24 and charged with possession of a controlled substance, abandonment of dangerous drugs, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of marijuana less than an ounce.
A report of the accident by Jones County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Shurley stated that the 2016 Acura driven by Dunkley was traveling toward Gray on Highway 18 near the Walnut Creek Bridge when the accident occurred.
The time of the accident was reported as 8 p.m. Shurley said the driver claimed a deer ran out into the roadway and caused him to lose control of the vehicle that crossed into the westbound lane and ended up in a ditch.
In Shurley’s report of the incident leading to Dunkley’s arrest, he stated he was dispatched to the accident scene in reference to an accident with a child trapped inside a vehicle. He said JCSO Deputy Anthony Brown was the first on the scene and advised him the child had been removed from the car.
Shurley said, when he and JCSO Sgt. Jeff Sullivan arrived at the scene, they spoke to witnesses who wanted to inform officers of the driver’s actions prior to the accident.
The deputies were told several vehicles were traveling east toward Gray behind a mail carrier vehicle. The witnesses said that the driver of the wrecked vehicle attempted to pass five cars in the group in a no-passing zone.
When the witnesses came around the corner, they saw that vehicle in a ditch.
Shurley said Brown conducted a field sobriety test on the driver due to the odor of marijuana coming from the car. He said the 3-year-old was unharmed and being cared for by a stopped motorist.
The deputy said the search of the vehicle had to wait until it was placed on level ground, but that search revealed a partially smoked marijuana cigarette in the ashtray.
Shurley said Sullivan found a red Nike shoe in the wood line near the scene, stuffed with two sandwich bags containing marijuana. Dunkley at first denied the shoe was his, but upon Sullivan’s suggestion that the mate to the shoe would be found in the car, the driver admitted it was his.
Also found in the Acura were a THC vape pen, rolling papers and several bags of Rasta Leaf. A firearm was also found in the car.
Shurley said Dunkley was placed under arrest after family members arrived to pick up the child.
