After being charged with impaired driving following a pursuit with Ohio police, a semi truck driver has had those charges dropped after it was determined he was suffering from a medical emergency.
Trucker Leads Columbus Cops On Slow Speed Chase
On March 15, Columbus police began to pursue a truck after receiving numerous calls about its erratic driving. According to reports, 63 year old truck driver Barry Austin Demings refused to stop and a 30 mile slow speed pursuit began along I-270. Police were able to bring the pursuit to an end with stop sticks.
Police finally stopped this truck after chasing it halfway around I-270. Check out an extended replay here: https://t.co/bS2hAGH7mp pic.twitter.com/EPQ40fLO9o
— NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) March 16, 2017
Initially, officers on the scene believed that Demings was suffering from a medical problem. However, after observing Demings allegedly sweating profusely, nodding off, and urinating on himself, they decided to obtain a warrant for a blood test. Demings had also mentioned taking a drug he had obtained at a gas station after he was apprehended, according to a report in the Columbus Post Dispatch.
From the Columbus Post Dispatch:
“A blood sample was taken when Demings was transported to the hospital; police are awaiting the results of a toxicology report for alcohol and/or drugs.
A search warrant to obtain the blood sample was sought because Demings was unable to approve or refuse the test.”
Demings was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, failure to maintain his lane, and failure to comply with police.
Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against Truck Driver
Today, however, the Hilliard Police Department announced that the prosecutor has decided to drop the charges against Demings after determining that he was actually undergoing a medical emergency during the pursuit.
From law director Tracy Bradford, “The evidence showed that the defendant was suffering from a medical condition that caused his erratic driving, (and) because of that medical condition, we could not prove that he had the requisite mental intent to support a conviction.”
You can watch police dash cam video of the pursuit below.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQZmMASStms” width=”700″ height=”500″ autoplay=”yes”][su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=66QUcTTylBA” width=”700″ height=”500″]http://youtu.be/qXEQ7SaWgw8[/su_youtube]