An impaired driver caused a wreck when he was found to be driving under the influence of both marijuana and prescription muscle relaxers.

On October 10th, Summerville Police Officers were dispatched to Highway 114 near Chattooga High School concerning a motor vehicle accident with injuries. Witnesses on the scene had observed and recorded the accident and leading up to the accident. The Ford Focus was observed to be unable to maintain a single lane and following very closely behind a vehicle before sideswiping a Kia Seltos.

Officers made contact with the driver of the Focus who was identified as Ricky Johnson. Johnson told Officers the reason he was driving so badly is because he was sleepy from working all day. Officers noticed that Johnson was often confused with a flushed face and slurred speech. Johnsons pupils were also constricted to pinpoints. When asked if he had taken any drugs or had anything to drink, Johnson initially stated that he had smoked some marijuana earlier in the morning, but denied taking any drugs, legal or illegal. After telling Johnson that his pupils were very small and his face flushed, Johnson did admit to taking several prescription drugs including one muscle relaxer. Officers asked Johnson if he thought it was a good idea to smoke marijuana while taking pills and then driving to which Johnson responded that he wasn’t sure.

Johnson was then asked to take several field sobriety tests, of which he failed all. At this point Johnson was then placed under arrest for driving under the influence where he was transported to the Chattooga County Jail. Even though Johnson had been asked if he had anything on his person that he did not want to cross the guard line with, Johnson managed to forget about a single Hydrocodone pill in his pocket. Johnson stated, “Oh, s***” when the pill was found during a search. Johnson was charged with Possession of Barbiturates’, Operations of a Vehicle without Tag or Decal, No Licenses on Person, DUI Drugs Less Safe, Failure to Maintain a Single Lane, and Following to Closely.