A semi driver is facing charges for possession of methamphetamine and driving under the influence. The 56-year-old man, who is from Southhaven, Mississippi, was arrested by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
He was in Greene County, driving in the southbound lanes of Interstate 81 when he came to a weigh station. He drove onto the scales, and officials said that they could see that his pupils were dilated and that his body was shaking. They also said that he appeared to be impaired and that his body movements were exaggerated.
Other charges that he's facing include violating the state's implied consent law, resisting arrest, and falsifying his records.
The officials did give him field sobriety tests, which they say he could not do. They then asked him to let them carry out a blood test, and he allegedly refused. That's why he was charged with the violation of the implied consent law.
At one point during the arrest, police say he tried to run from the scene. First, they claim he took a bag of white crystals out of a pouch, tossed it aside, and then tried to get into the cab of the truck. Officials prevented him from doing so, and now they say tests that were run on the crystals showed they were meth.
It's important for those who are arrested on DUI and drug charges to know their legal rights, especially when they work in an industry where they have to drive for a living. A conviction can have lasting consequences, even beyond jail time, and could put an end to a person's career.
Source: The Greeneville Sun, "Trucker Charged With Meth Possession, DUI," Ken Little, Feb. 13, 2017