By Paul Garrod
Staff Writer
news4garrod@gmail.com
A Lawton area man faces charges of driving while intoxicated and flee and elude, following his arrest early Friday morning, March 7, according to a press release from the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office.
Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott said that deputies were dispatched to Decatur Township, near the intersection of County Road 352 and CR 669, at approximately 4:25 a.m. Dep-uties had been called for an occupied vehicle that had been parked in the travel lane of CR 352. Decatur Police Department assisted deputies and made initial contact with the driver, a 39-year-old male from the Lawton area. The driver was in the driver’s seat and had a bottle of alco-hol in his lap. Sheriff Abbott said the suspect driver refused commands from officers to exit the vehicle. The suspect then put his vehicle into drive and attempted to evade officers.
A short pursuit ensued east from the contact location, prior to the driver crashing his car in the 36000 block of CR 669. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Deputies took the driver to the hospital where he was checked out.
Sheriff Abbott said the suspect was arrested and was transported to the Van Buren County Jail on charges of OWI and flee and elude.
This incident is currently under investigation.
