A Wadestown man is charged with fleeing from law enforcement in a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
Robert K. Wardell ignored a Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputy’s attempts to pull him over for about 1.5 miles before pulling over and surrendering, according to a criminal complaint.
Deputy T. Hunn was on traffic enforcement duty at the intersection of Toms Run Road and Mason-Dixon Highway when he saw a black Jeep Cherokee turn west onto Mason-Dixon from Toms Run, according to a criminal complaint.
It was dark and the Jeep’s rear taillights were not on, so Hunn activated the emergency lights near Mason-Dixon Elementary School. The driver of the Jeep didn’t yield to the emergency lights, so Hunn turned on his siren, which the driver continued to ignore, the complaint said.
The Jeep passed several safe areas to pull over and Hunn said he saw it swerve left of the center line. According to the complaint, about 1.5 miles later, the driver of the Jeep pulled into a driveway off Mason-Dixon Highway, surrendered, and was detained.
The driver, Wardell, smelled of alcohol, spoke with slurred speech, and had bloodshot, glassy eyes, Hunn wrote. He admitted to drinking six beers and whiskey and failed three field sobriety tests.
At the sheriff’s office, Wardell initially refused to take a breathalyzer test, but about 15 minutes later he agreed and blew .112, according to the complaint. Hunn also discovered Wardell has two previous DUI convictions from March 2016 and October 2017.
Wardell is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $10,000 bond. He was booked at 4:25 a.m. Wednesday, according to the jail’s website.
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