23-year-old Alexandra Pirtle was jailed Friday Morning after crashing on I-40. During the investigation, officers observed her wobbling while standing, smelling strongly of alcohol, and slurring her speech while she explained that she had lost control of her vehicle after swerving to avoid a car that had cut her off. Officers asked Pirtle if she had anything to drink, to which she advised she had two drinks before leaving work. She was asked to consent to sobriety tests but refused and was taken into custody.
Tag: dui
Jonathan Swader jailed on DUI charge after falling asleep behind the wheel
32-year-old RN Jonathan Swader of Chattanooga was jailed Friday morning after officers observed a truck improperly parked in the grass on Old Hickory Boulevard. He was reportedly asleep in the driver’s seat with the keys in the ignition. The truck was on, but the engine was not running, and the transmission was neutral. He woke up confused and made incoherent statements. He was asked several times to exit the vehicle and stumbled while doing so. Swader admitted to consuming two beers at a “low-key bar” along with two shots of tequila and another beer at the Bridgestone Arena. He declined to provide a breath sample, nor would he consent to sobriety tests. After he was arrested, he admitted to drinking before driving.
Musician Eric Rich charged with DUI after crash; had a “couple of drinks”
31-year-old Eric Thomas Rich was driving a vehicle involved in a car accident near the intersection of Lake Chateau Dr. and S New Hope Rd on September 21st. Police made contact with Eric, who reportedly reeked of alcohol and refused to move when asked for his information. When he decided to grab the information, police noticed he was unsteady and needed the car for support. He was flustered as he unsuccessfully looked for his registration and admitted to drinking a couple of drinks but could not say where or when through slurred speech. Police asked him to perform sobriety tests, but he refused nor wanted to do anything that would take him to court. They then asked him to turn around and put his hands behind his back, and he almost fell into the car. Police obtained a warrant for his blood since he refused, but he asked questions while the blood was drawn. The officers told him he could request additional testing, but he said his hospital is in Georgia, so he would not be impaired when they made it, admitting to the intoxication.
Arpita Sarkar charged with DUI after crash; says she had “two glasses of champagne”
28-year-old Arpita Sarkar was on the side of Highway 70 next to her damaged Toyota Camry that was involved in a car accident that the police responded to on July 10th. Nashville Fire Department told police that Arpita was intoxicated and she was on her phone and crying. Police described her as smelling strongly of alcohol and belligerent during the interview. She told police she had two glasses of champagne roughly three hours before the crash and then went to Domino’s. When they asked her about the accident, she said she did not know how it occurred but could barely stand.
The other vehicle involved in the crash was driven by Brenda Linares, who had an injury to her left arm, and the passenger of her vehicle, Dylan Hooker, had a cut on the back of his head. Dylan said that after the accident, he exited the vehicle to take pictures of the damage, and Arpita began yelling at him and then smacked his iPhone 14 out of his hand, causing it to hit the ground and shatter.
Witness Jacob Church followed behind Arpita before the accident and showed dash cam footage of Arpita moving into oncoming traffic and colliding with Brenda’s vehicle. Arpita was transferred to St. Thomas West Hospital for her leg injuries and was administered a modified sobriety test. Police reported that she could not comprehend the test and was yelling due to her high level of intoxication. She was issued a citation for DUI because she needed to be at the hospital for over 3 hours. She was booked for the charge on August 7th.
Leighton Allen charged with DUI after drinking sangrias in downtown Nashville
34-year-old Leighton Allen was illegally parked in a lane on Broadway near 12th Ave early on September 15th. Once she began moving again, his lights were not on, so police conducted a traffic stop. Police described Leighton as visibly intoxicated, and he said that he had sangrias earlier that night. He was asked to perform sobriety tests and showed signs of intoxication. While police read him the implied consent form, he yelled over the police, and a sober driver picked up the passengers from Leighton’s vehicle. The officer obtained a search warrant and served it at General ER for Leighton’s blood.
DUI: Carrie Newman jailed after late-night crash
35-year-old Carrie Newman was jailed late Saturday night after causing a crash on Hillsboro Pike. When officers arrived, they interviewed both parties involved and had reason to suspect that Newman was driving under the influence of alcohol. They noticed she had glassy eyes; she admitted that she was heading home from a work party and had at least two drinks. She consented to sobriety testing and performed poorly on all tasks. When she was taken to booking, she consented to a breath test that came back as a .134% BAC.
Downtown bartender Brittany Ozment jailed after late-night DUI
28-year-old Brittany Ozment was standing at the corner of the intersection of Old Hickory Blvd and Rocky Lane when police spoke to her late Tuesday night. Brittany told them that her vehicle was involved in the crash that they responded to. Police reported that she reeked of alcohol, swayed while standing, and was unsteady on her feet while walking. She was told that she was placed under arrest for DUI and refused to do sobriety tests or provide a blood or breath sample.
Zachary Miller jailed for DUI after late-night collision with fire hydrant
Police interviewed 24-year-old Zachary Miller after arriving at the scene of a crash involving Zachary’s vehicle and a fire hydrant around midnight on September 11th. Zachary told police that he pulled the steering wheel too hard, causing him to collide with the fire hydrant. Police reported a strong smell of alcohol on Zachary’s breath and that he was unsteady on his feet. He told police that he drank two or three IPAs downtown around noon that day but had not consumed anything recently. After he showed signs of intoxication on field sobriety tests, he was read implied consent but refused to provide a breath sample.
Thomas Furey crashes vehicle after drinking “two beers”
47-year-old Thomas Furey was found by police at the scene of an accident where he crashed into a utility pole off of 6th Ave and Mulberry on Friday night. Thomas’s truck was under the broken utility pole with an exposed wire draped over the vehicle’s top. The passenger side of his truck suffered extensive damage, causing him to be stuck inside the construction site right off the roadway. He was in the vehicle’s driver’s seat and attempting to reverse despite instructions to stop while emergency equipment attempted to free him. After being helped out of the vehicle, he swayed and told the Nashville Fire Department personnel that he only had two beers earlier that evening. Police asked him what city he was currently in, and he could not discern between Smyrna or Murfreesboro, but when later asked to clarify, he said Smyrna — he was in Nashville. He showed several signs of intoxication during sobriety tests. Police then placed him into custody for DUI.
Ethan Brown jailed after DUI crash in West Nashville
18-year-old Ethan Hunter Brown crashed his vehicle late Friday night on Charlotte Pike, according to police, who say he rear-ended another vehicle. A witness observed Brown throw a ‘Twisted Tea’ alcoholic drink from the vehicle immediately after the crash. Officers located the Twisted Tea and spoke with Brown, who was slurring his speech and reeked of alcohol. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken into custody.