State Education Department employee accused of driving while intoxicated, fleeing from park ranger

Coy
Coy

HOT SPRINGS -- A Little Rock man who works for the state Department of Education has been arrested, accused of for driving while intoxicated and fleeing from a Hot Springs National Park ranger with his minor daughter in the car, authorities said.

He faces felony counts of vehicular fleeing and endangering the welfare of a minor, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of DWI first offense and refusal to submit to a chemical test, each punishable by up to one year in jail.

Thomas Charles Coy, 44, a public school program manager at the state Education Department, was taken into custody about 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Coy was later released on $7,000 bond and is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Garland County District Court.

According to the affidavit, Ranger Zach Summerlin was eastbound on Airport Road near North Moore Road when he spotted a silver Yukon "driving in and out of the turn lane several times." Suspecting the driver was texting, Summerlin said he pulled up beside him, intending to use a hand signal to tell him to stop texting.

As he pulled alongside, he noted the driver, later identified as Coy, appeared sleepy and didn't notice him driving beside him. He pulled behind the vehicle and saw it swerve into the turn lane again several times, almost hitting a car and a motorcycle.

Summerlin said he activated his lights to make a traffic stop, but the driver kept going, continuing to swerve from lane to lane and driving in excess of the 50 mph speed limit. The driver made a wide turn onto Oak Hill Road and stopped in the oncoming lane, but then drove off again as Summerlin followed with lights and siren activated.

The driver finally turned on South Danna Drive and stopped at its intersection with Happy Street. Summerlin said he drew his service weapon and approached the man, ordering him to get out of the car and show his hands. Coy complied. Summerlin asked the driver to turn around and take two steps backward. He said Coy stumbled and had to catch himself.

Summerlin said he had a hard time helping Coy get up and walked him back to his unit. The ranger said Coy smelled of intoxicants. Coy told the ranger that his 13-year-old daughter was in the car, according to reports. Summerlin said he could hear her sobbing from his patrol car.

He checked on the girl who told him she was scared because Summerlin was yelling at her dad. Summerlin said he told the girl to call her mother, and she said her mother was in Little Rock.

Summerlin and Garland County sheriff's Deputy Shane Tatum, who had arrived to assist, asked Coy how much he had to drink and Coy initially said, "A bit." He then admitted to drinking more than a bottle of white wine and said he was driving back to Little Rock, authorities said.

After submitting to three field sobriety tests and failing all three, Coy submitted to a Breathalyzer test that registered his blood alcohol content at 0.22 percent, almost three times the legal limit, according to authorities.

Once at the detention center, Coy provided two more breath samples, registering 0.239 and 0.218 percent, the affidavit states. Because of the difference between samples, Summerlin tried to take a third sample but Coy wouldn't provide a sufficient sample, resulting in the additional misdemeanor charge, authorities said.

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State Desk on 08/02/2017

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