SALYERSVILLE – A Magoffin County man was arrested reportedly after nearly hitting a police officer head-on.
On June 11, Salyersville Police Department Officer Donavon Watson was patrolling on KY Rt. 7 in the Gardner Trail area and was crossing the bridge going toward the red light at the junction of Rt. 7, Church Street and Parkway Drive, when he witnessed a man turn off of Church Street and onto KY Rt. 7, crossing the yellow line with “almost his entire car,” and nearly hitting the officer head-on, according to the arrest citation.
Officer Watson swerved out of his own lane and into the right turning lane to avoid being hit, then turned around and conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle that almost hit him.
The driver, identified as Billy Montgomery, 72, of Allen Drive, in Salyersville, was pulled over and Officer Watson reported observing Montgomery with slurred speech, red glossy eyes and very slow/poor motor skills. Montgomery was asked to exit the vehicle, as which time the officer reported smelling marijuana coming from Montgomery or the vehicle. When asked if he had anything on him, Montgomery responded he marijuana, which he handed to Officer Watson, as well as a Xanax, which was prescribed to him. The bottle reportedly contained 4 1-mg Xanax, as well as half of a gabapentin, 2 orange amphetamine 20 mg (20 mg Adderal), one blue amphetamine 10 mg (10 mg Adderal) and several Aleve pills. He also pulled out a glass pipe with smoked marijuana residue in it, according to the police report.
Montgomery failed a portion of the field sobriety test, with Officer Watson collecting the pills, marijuana and pipe and placing it all in an evidence bag and placing Montgomery under arrest. Montgomery was placed in the back seat and the evidence in the front seat, but when Watson sat down in his cruiser, Montgomery’s ex-wife pulled up. Officer Watson stepped out of his car and explained to the ex-wife what was going on, at which time Montgomery reportedly stuck his hand through the opening in the cage separating the front and back seats, grabbed the pill bottle and ate all of the pills, according to the arrest citation.
When the officer got back in the cruiser, he noticed the pill bottle was missing, then found it completely empty behind the center console in the floor, according to the citation.
Montgomery told the officer he had eaten the missing pills, and when they left the scene, he said his heart was racing and “felt funny,” so Watson advised dispatch and transported him to the ambulance station. AmeriPro EMS transported Montgomery to Paintsville ARH.
After he was medically cleared, he was then transported to the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, where he remains at press time, facing the following charges: first-degree wanton endangerment of a police officer; operating a motor vehicle under the influence, first, aggravating circumstance; possession of marijuana; second-degree possession of a controlled substance – amphetamine; prescription controlled substance not in proper container, first offense; buying or possessing drug paraphernalia; and tampering with physical evidence.
Editor’s Note: The indictment or charge of a person by a grand jury or otherwise is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
