Jamestown police sergeant arrested for driving impaired; asks trooper for break

Estep on paid leave, said he’s not cited troopers he stopped for same offense.

A Jamestown police sergeant was arrested for driving impaired and told the trooper as he handcuffed him that he would have given another law enforcement officer a break, a dashcam video reveals.

Randall Estep, 49, was stopped by troopers on Ohio 753 near Washington Court House in Fayette County around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, a citation from OSHP showed. He was not on duty. He refused a field sobriety test. “Dude. I’m not taking a test, if you’re going to arrest me, arrest me,” Estep said on the dashcam.

He told the trooper who stopped him he had had “about six beers” to drink.

The trooper told him he’d seen Estep cross over the centerline several times while driving and asked if he felt impaired. The trooper asked Estep to take off his hat so he could look at his eyes with a flashlight.

“Sir, you made the decision to drink alcohol and get behind the wheel,” the trooper said in dashcam video.

Estep, visibly angry, said that he’s stopped troopers who have done the same thing, and he gave

them “a break.”

Jamestown Police Chief Rodger Tyree said the incident was a “disappointment” and that an “extremely poor decision was made.” Estep had no traffic violations or any disciplinary issues in the past, Tyree said.

Estep was put on “restrictive duties” and as of yesterday has been placed on paid leave, the chief said. There is an internal investigation into the matter going on now. Tyree said he didn’t know how long the investigation might take, but that it may coincide with the conclusion of Estep’s court case.

Estep is a 23-year veteran of the department.

“Police are not above the law,” Tyree said. “I’m disappointed to see an officer, or any of our citizens, in that position.”

Estep appeared in court on Wednesday. His attorney has plead not guilty on Estep’s behalf. Estep’s attorney, Charles Rowland II, has also requested a pretrial conference hearing and a jury trial. A hearing date has not been set yet.