INEZ, Ky. – Charges ranging from motor vehicle and drug -related violations to theft of a woman’s purse from her parked car are involved in the arrests of eight persons in Martin County the past week and a half.

Officers of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office made the arrests.

– A 24-year-old Inez man identified as David Joshua Brown was arrested Jan. 15 at Gordon Hollow, Beauty, Ky., after Sheriff’s Deputy James Ayers found him acting suspiciously and checked him out during a traffic stop. Chief Field Deputy Brian Tipton and Deputy Chris Todd were other officers involved in the incident.

Brown was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, second offense; operating a motor vehicle (1992 Toyota) on a suspended operator’s license; possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance, second degree (Hydrocodone), first offense.

Other charges included: possession of drug paraphernalia (first offense); failure of non-owner operator to maintain required insurance (second offense); no Kentucky registration receipt; no registration plates; menacing and terroristic threatening, third degree.

Ayers’ report said Brown failed field sobriety tests regarding alcohol. Kentucky State Police records revealed the offender had a previous DWI charge and several suspension orders. The charges stemmed from a search of Brown’s vehicle and the fact the accused became combative verbally with officers and threatened several officers, Ayers’ report stated.

– Mack A. Estepp II, 25, of Louisa, Ky., was arrested by Deputy Todd on Jan. 15 on five charges and also was served a bench warrant. The officer’s report said Estepp was a passenger in a vehicle whose driver was arrested for driving under the influence. The officer’s report stated he and Deputies Tipton and Ayers found five pills of a controlled substance (Hydrocodone), and also a container and a cutoff straw containing pill residue.

#Todd’s report said Estepp became verbally combative with officers and threatened several of them during his arrest in Gordon Hollow, two miles west of Warfield. He was additionally charged with public intoxication; possession of a controlled substance, second degree, first offense; possession of drug paraphernalia, first offense; menacing; and terroristic threatening, third degree.

– Gary R. Williams, 63, of Kermit, W. Va., was arrested by Sheriff’s Deputy Dwayne Bowen on four charges Jan. 15 during an incident at Wildcat Mart on Ky. Route 40, four miles east of Inez.

Bowen’s report said he went to meet off-duty KSP officers at the mart and found Williams standing at the front of his 2001 Pontiac with a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his body. Williams admitted to drinking and taking pain pills, had slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet, the officer reported. The Mingo Countian failed sobriety tests.

The officer noted that Williams’ 11-year-old grandson had been in the vehicle with him. Williams was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, etc. (aggravated circumstances); possession of an open beer container in his motor vehicle; operating on a suspended/revoked operator’s license, and failure to surrender his revoked operator’s license.

– Deputy Bowen arrested a 26-year-old Louisa, Ky., man identified as Jason Goble on Jan. 8 on Crooked Run Road near Inez, charging him with theft by unlawful taking.

The officer had received a complaint that a male subject wearing a black leather jacket and ball cap had stolen a purse from a vehicle at the Inez Shoprite. The suspect had left in a gold four-door car, heading north on old Route 3. Bowen spotted the suspect vehicle on arrival at Crooked Fork Run and pulled up beside it.

The officer reported he walked up to the gold car and found Goble going through a black purse while seated on the passenger side of the vehicle. Goble had a camera in his hand and told the officer he didn’t know to whom it belonged. Bowen told the man he already knew the owner’s name.

The officer quoted Goble that he “was going through hard times and there wasn’t any money in it (the purse),” adding that he was going to return it. The owner identified the purse at the court house later and a witness said she saw Goble take the purse out of the parked vehicle and leave.

– Sebastian K. Bowling, 18, of Pikeville, Ky., was arrested on Jan. 16 at Dempsey Housing near Warfield, Ky., on charges of public intoxication from a controlled substance (excluding alcohol), possession of marijuana and violation of the drug paraphernalia law (buy or possess), first offense.

Chief Deputy Tipton said Unit 11 and W. King had found the teen-ager and another subject in a vehicle, smoking marijuana. He said Unit 11 had already found a bag of marijuana in a Marlboro cigarette pack along with rolling papers.

Brandon D. Tate, 19, of Pikeville, Ky., was arrested by Tipton Jan. 16 on a charge of public intoxication from a controlled substance (excluding alcohol).

– Dewey James, 42, of Inez, Ky., was cited on Jan. 16 by Tipton on four charges: No registration plates for his 1993 Jeep; no registration receipt; failure to register transfer of a motor vehicle, and failure to have his license in possession. James was cited to appear in Martin District Court on Feb. 15 to answer to the charges.

– Timmy J. Hinkle, 42, of Inez, was arrested Jan. 8 by Tipton during execution of two bench warrants. One charged him with public intoxication from a controlled substance (excluding alcohol), and not having a prescription controlled substance in proper container (second offense).