The following information is gleaned from incident reports, which are public record, from the Jones County Sheriff’s Department and Gray Police Department Dec. 16, 2023.
Dec. 16
I will just go home
Deputy Dennis was dispatched to the area of Bethune Avenue and New Clinton Road regarding a motor vehicle accident. While Dennis was enroute to the scene, dispatch advised the deputy that a subject on the scene was being very combative. Sgt. Walker also responded to the scene. When Dennis arrived, he observed a pickup truck disabled in the roadway and a male subject laying on the ground with multiple people standing over him. Dennis was advised that the subject on the ground was the driver of the vehicle and he was intoxicated and attempted to flee the scene on foot.
However, several bystanders tackled the subject and took him to the ground causing a cut to the right side of his face. Dennis made contact with the male subject and assisted him to his feet. The male subject denied that he tried to flee and that he was intoxicated. The male subject told Dennis that he did not hit anyone, rather someone hit him. Dennis escorted the male subject over to his vehicle and while doing so, the male told the deputy that he “needed to let him go” and he “would just go home.” The male also stated that his best friend had been buried earlier that day and he was just upset. The male subject’s speech was slurred and Dennis could smell the odor of alcohol coming from the subject. When Dennis advised the male that he could not go home, the subject tensed up and began to turn away from the deputy. At that time, Dennis detained the male in handcuffs to deter him from trying to flee. Due to the high chance of the male attempting to flee, his injuries to his face and head and the presence of rain, the deputy determined that the standardized field sobriety test would not be beneficial. There were also open containers of alcohol in the male subject’s vehicle. Dennis placed the male under arrest for driving under the influence. Dennis requested that the male submit to the state administered chemical test of his blood, and the male refused the blood test. EMS arrived on scene and it was determined that the male subject was not in need of emergency medical treatment. The male was transported to the Jones County jail. The male subject told Dennis that he was actually hit and he did not hit anyone, and that the deputy could not arrest him for DUI because he never saw the subject driving the vehicle. The male also stated that he was not the one driving the vehicle, someone else was. The male subject also told Dennis that he drank the little clear bottles of alcohol after the collision and the other male that was driving got out and ran and at that time, he got back in the car in the driver’s seat. Once at the jail, citations were issued for DUI refusal, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to yield when entering an intersection and open container violations.
