KINGWOOD — Bond was set at $500,000 for a Bruceton Mills man accused of ramming two Preston Sheriff’s cruisers and throwing beer cans at deputies.
Clay Conor Johnson, 30, was in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail Monday. According to a criminal complaint by Preston Deputy W.E. Crawford:
Crawford responded Sunday to a report of an accident in the parking lot of WesBanco in Kingwood. The caller said the damaged Hyundai was fleeing east on W.Va. 7 — a path that took him past the Preston Sheriff’s office.
Johnson was driving east in the westbound lane, and the deputy had to swerve to miss him. As they passed, Johnson yelled obscenities at the officer and swerved to try and hit the cruiser.
Crawford followed Johnson as he continued east in the westbound lane. Johnson nearly hit four vehicles and could be seen drinking beer and tossing the empties out the car window.
Deputy R.A. Stockett Jr. tried to block Johnson’s path with his cruiser, which Johnson struck, causing “significant damage,” and continuing on.
When Crawford passed Johnson to try another block, Johnson swerved toward the cruiser. The deputy got around him and set up spike strips down the road. Johnson accelerated and turned into the cruiser, rather than the spike strips, causing “significant damage” to that cruiser.
Johnson continued to accelerate after the collision and tried to push Crawford’s cruiser out of the way before being taken into custody.
Johnson is charged with felony destruction of property, felony fleeing while DUI and fleeing with reckless indifference.
