Suspected DWI arrest leads to felony drug charge
An alleged drunken driver was soon facing a felony drug charge after his arrest by Hot Springs police early Wednesday.
Kevin Joseph Spooner,
41, who lists a Ouachita Avenue address, was taken into custody shortly before 12:30 a.m. and charged with possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, punishable by up to six years in prison, and driving while under the influence, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
Spooner remained in custody Thursday in lieu of bonds totaling $3,500 and is set to appear April 18 in Garland County
District Court.
According to the affidavit,
HSPD Officer Thomas Plummer was northbound in the 2100 block of Central Avenue when he got behind a white Chevrolet pickup that swerved from lane to lane several times. He made a traffic stop in the 1900 block, noting the driver pulled into a parking lot and came to rest with one tire on top of a curb.
He made contact with the driver, identified as Spooner, and noted an odor of intoxicants and that Spooner’s voice was slurred and he had red, bloodshot eyes. Spooner provided his driver’s license, but when asked for insurance he provided an accident report issued out of Pike County and repeatedly insisted that was his insurance form.
When asked if he had anything to drink, Spooner reportedly said “a couple,” and admitted he meant beers. Spooner allegedly refused to submit to field sobriety tests, noting, “I just live a few blocks away.” When told he would be arrested, he agreed to participate.
Plummer noted he was unsteady on his feet after getting out and nearly fell. Spooner asked if his passenger could drive him home because the passenger was sober. He then admitted he had been drinking and was not sober, but again refused to take any tests, so he was taken into custody.
While being transported to jail, Plummer noted Spooner was moving around in the back seat digging through his pockets even though Plummer had already patted him down and removed his wallet and other items. Plummer told Spooner he would be strip searched at the jail and he said, “That’s fine. This isn’t my first rodeo.”
In searching Spooner’s wallet at the jail, Plummer allegedly found a small plastic baggie with 0.3 gram of what later tested positive for meth. Spooner refused to take a breathalyzer test, but admitted it was meth Plummer found and that it was “for personal use.”
In addition to the DWI and drug charge, Spooner was cited for refusal to submit, careless and prohibited driving and no proof of insurance.