Rachel Dove-Baldwin
Staff Writer
WILLIAMSON — A highly inebriated female that could barely walk down the sidewalk of 2nd Avenue in Williamson was cited by Williamson City Police Patrolman D. Paige for indecent exposure and public intoxication after she was witnessed pulling her pants down and urinating directly in front of the door of the Williamson Daily News Tuesday afternoon.
Barbara Miracle, age unknown of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Todd Dotson, age unknown from Williamson, were observed walking on the sidewalk across from City Tire on Second Avenue, staggering and holding onto one another as they tried to make their way down the street. While passing the entrance for the Daily News, Miracle, who stated Dotson told her the building was abandoned and no one would mind if she used the carpeted area for a restroom, dropped her pants and proceeded to urinate. When an employee yelled at her to stop, she pulled her pants back up and finished urinating in her clothing.
When approached, Dotson became angry and began cursing, while Miracle was crying and stating she was sorry, saying that she had been told it was fine to urinate in public. Miracle had to hold on to a garbage dumpster to keep from falling to the ground while being questioned.
“I’ve got bad kidneys and I can’t hold my pee,” stated the intoxicated female whose speech was so slurred she could barely be understood. She repeatedly dropped her belongings she was attempting to carry, leaving them in various locations and did not seem to be able to grasp any details of what was happening around her, or the repercussions she could face for her actions.
“We no longer have a Public Intoxication Shelter here in Mingo County, therefore what these two people did today is no longer an offense that results in an arrest,” stated Patrolman Paige. “We have nowhere to hold them; they have to be supervised by a medical professional until they are sober enough to be accountable for their actions. As sad as it is, all I can do is issue them a citation to appear in court and instruct them to leave the premises.”
Children frequent the area in which the female chose to urinate, with several attending an after school child-care in a church located 2 doors from the Daily News, not to mention the amount of patrons who were outside of City Tire and the 7-11 station across from the location, along with customers of the newspaper and other businesses in the direct vicinity.
Complaints of this nature are being reported to law enforcement officers from various parts of Mingo and Pike Counties, with no communities immune to the drug problem that has developed a tight grip on the Tug Valley area. To date, 21 felony drug arrests have occurred since August 1 of this year, when Eugene Crum (Mingo County Sheriff-Elect) was appointed as Special Investigator for the Prosecutor’s office and began working with Williamson Police Chief C.D. Rockel to crack down on drug activity.
“I ask for everyone’s patience as we investigate the tips we’re receiving, this is not a quick fix and it will take time to fix a problem that has had 8 years to develop,” stated Crum. “As far as a P.I. Shelter, we have discussed the great need for one and we’re exploring our options.”
“We’re making progress and we take all cases serious, whether big or small, we know that they’re important to the citizens of Mingo County and rest assured they’re important to us. Drugs and drug activity has no place in our communities, and we’re working around the clock to take back our towns.”
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