RIPLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A routine traffic stop in Ripley escalated into a DUI arrest after a 19-year-old driver ignored police warnings and returned to the scene, according to the Ripley Police Department.
At approximately 9:11 p.m., Officer Steven Fisher initiated a traffic stop on a dark-colored sedan near Collision Specialist on Cedar Lakes Drive. The vehicle was reportedly speeding, following too closely, and traveling without tail lights.
The driver, later identified as a 17-year-old female, and her passenger, 19-year-old David Withrow, were questioned during the stop. While speaking with the pair, Officer Fisher noticed an open beer bottle in the back floorboard. Both teens initially denied drinking, but later admitted to consuming alcohol and THC products earlier in the evening. Fisher also discovered several empty BeatBox alcoholic beverage containers and THC vape pens in the vehicle.
Withrow was placed in the back of Fisher’s cruiser after lying about the presence of a handgun in the vehicle. Rather than make an immediate arrest, Fisher chose to allow the teens to call someone to pick them up, instructing them to leave the vehicle parked until they were sober enough to retrieve it safely.
However, around 10:58 p.m., while observing traffic, Officer Fisher noticed the same pickup vehicle returning to the scene. He alerted Patrolman Fouty to monitor the area as he took position nearby. To their surprise, the teens had reentered the car and began driving it again — this time, Withrow was behind the wheel.
Fisher stopped the vehicle once more and arrested Withrow on suspicion of driving under the influence. At the Ripley Police Department, Withrow exhibited signs of impairment, including resting nystagmus and slight swaying during sobriety testing. He blew a .065 on a preliminary breath test and later registered a .06 on a secondary test at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. While this is below the standard .08 legal limit, Withrow’s age (19) made any alcohol consumption while driving illegal.
Withrow was booked at South Central Regional Jail and charged with DUI (1st offense) and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
