Rachel Dove-Baldwin

Staff Writer

WILLIAMSON - A road patrol yielded a DUI arrest for one state trooper, who charged the defendant with multiple other counts of wrongdoings.

Michael Wade Thompson, 35, of Delbarton, was arrested by West Virginia State Police (WVSP) Trooper D.L. Contos on charges of DUI, no operator’s license, no proof of insurance, no seatbelt, defective equipment, expired registration, illegal window tint and no proof of registration following a traffic stop that was conducted after the trooper observed a 2004 GMC Sierra being driven on a tire that was completely flat, with the rim supporting that side of the vehicle.

Upon making contact with the driver after he was pulled over on Rockhouse Road near the Ragland community, the trooper stated that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt and had window tint that was so dark it did not allow the officer to see inside the vehicle. Contos requested to see the driver’s license and proof of registration and insurance, which Thompson failed to produce. The trooper also detected a strong, alcoholic odor on the driver’s breath and he is said to have had glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. There were multiple alcoholic beverage containers in the vehicle and Thompson allegedly admitted to consuming alcohol before driving.

The three part standardized field sobriety tests were administered, with the defendant failing to complete any of them. A breathalyzer test was conducted as well as a urinalysis that produced positive results for higher than a therapeutic level of barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and opiates.

Thompson was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Dallas Toler who set bond at $2,000. He was transported to the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden where he remains incarcerated.