Man arrested after found sleeping in a vehicle blocking a roadway

By Abby Morris
Star Staff
amorris@starhq.com

   A Roan Mountain man was arrested early Thursday morning and charged with driving under the influence after police found him asleep in his vehicle which was parked in the middle of a roadway blocking traffic.
   Carl Jennings Garrison, 56, 107 Garrison Rd., Roan Mountain, was arrested at approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday by Carter County Sheriff's Department Deputy Brad Hamm and charged with third offense DUI, second offense driving on a revoked license, violation of the implied consent law and violation of the registration law.
   According to a report by Hamm, the officer was on patrol on Old Buck Mountain Road when he saw a white-colored Lincoln "sitting crossways in the road blocking both lanes of traffic." As Hamm approached the vehicle, he saw Garrison asleep in the driver's seat of the vehicle with the key in the ignition switch.
   Hamm reported that Garrison smelled of alcohol, and he woke him up.
   "I asked Mr. Garrison why he was sitting in the middle of the roadway and Mr. Garrison seemed to act surprised that he was in the roadway," Hamm said. "Mr. Garrison then took a long pause before he stated that a Rob McKinney had drove him up there and the vehicle had torn up and that Mr. McKinney had went for help approximately 30 minutes earlier."
   Hamm asked Garrison to exit his vehicle, and the officer saw vomit in the area of the driver's seat. Hamm noticed that Garrison's eyes were blood shot and his speech was slurred.
   "I then asked Mr. Garrison again how the vehicle had got to that location," Hamm states in his report. "Mr. Garrison then stated that a Billy Joe Potter had drove the vehicle there from the Beer Wash and that he had went for help approximately four hours ago."
   Hamm placed Garrison under arrest for DUI.
   "After placing Mr. Garrison in the back of my patrol unit, Mr. Garrison sated that there was not even a battery in the vehicle," Hamm said. "I asked how the vehicle was driven there without a battery and Mr. Garrison stated that Billy Joe had carried the battery down the road while he went for help." Hamm then checked the vehicle and found that there was a battery in it.
   After transporting Garrison to the Carter County Jail, Hamm asked him to submit to a field sobriety test due to the fact that the terrain where Garrison was found was not appropriate for conducting a field sobriety test. "Mr. Garrison stated that he could not perform any of the tasks due to a back surgery and stated that if I was trying to determine if he was drunk that he could advise me that he was in fact drunk," Hamm said.
   Hamm asked Garrison to submit to a chemical test and Garrison refused. At that time he was charged with violation of the implied consent law. A check on Garrison's driver's license was conducted as well as a registration check on the vehicle he was driving. Garrison's license was found and the registration tag which was on the Lincoln was found to be registered to another vehicle.
   Garrison is scheduled to appear in General Sessions Court on Monday.