Man Too Intoxicated For Jail, Goes To Hospital Instead

The Edmonson County Sheriff's Office received a complaint of a reckless driver that appeared to be intoxicated in the Sunfish community on Sunday, March 22nd.  After deputies arrived in the area, they saw a Chevy pickup driving abnormally, which matched the description of the vehicle in the complaint. 

Police say the truck driven by Gregory Duvall, 44, of Sunfish,  quickly pulled into a driveway and as deputies approached the vehicle they discovered a very strong odor of alcohol. Duvall was then reportedly given a number of field sobriety tests which were all failed. 

Duvall was then arrested and charged with DUI, careless driving, and having an open alcohol container in a motor vehicle. Police also said that his blood-alcohol level was over 3 times the legal limit, so high in fact, that instead of Duvall being transported to jail, he was taken to Caverna Hospital for further observation, as Hart County Jail will not accept prisoners with that high of blood-alcohol level. 

Sheriff Shane Doyle said the reasoning behind that is a simple matter of safety. "Once a suspect reaches a certain blood-alcohol level, it becomes such a health risk that they need to be medically evaluated," he said. "People's safety will always come first. If they need to go to jail afterwards, then we'll act accordingly."

Edmonson Voice Staff

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