MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Florida man is facing multiple charges after West Virginia State Police found him unconscious behind the wheel of a running pickup truck with his 16-year-old special needs daughter inside.
According to the West Virginia State Police, officers were dispatched at approximately 9:30 p.m. to the southbound shoulder of Interstate 77 near the 9-mile marker in Mercer County after receiving a report of a man slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle.
When troopers arrived, they found a blue GMC pickup truck with Florida license plates parked on the shoulder with the engine running and the doors locked.
Police said they repeatedly knocked on the driver’s window but received no response. During the encounter, troopers noticed a young female in the back seat who appeared frightened and did not respond to attempts to communicate.
After several minutes, the driver woke up, unlocked the door and was identified as John Jones.
According to the criminal complaint, troopers immediately detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Jones and observed a nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey in the driver’s side door.
When asked if he had been drinking, Jones allegedly replied, “Yes, yesterday.”
Jones told troopers the girl in the back seat was his 16-year-old daughter, who has special needs, takes multiple medications and is nonverbal.
Troopers requested an ambulance, and the juvenile was transported to Princeton Community Hospital for evaluation.
Jones was taken to the West Virginia State Police Troop 6 Detachment, where he underwent standardized field sobriety tests, which police said he failed.
According to investigators, Jones consented to a breath test after being advised of West Virginia’s implied consent law. The test allegedly registered a 0.155 blood alcohol concentration, nearly twice the state’s legal limit of 0.08.
Jones was arrested and charged with:
- Driving Under the Influence (First Offense)
- Child Neglect Creating Risk of Injury
His vehicle was towed from the scene by Glen’s Towing.
As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and Jones is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
