Rachel Dove-Baldwin
Staff Writer
WILLIAMSON — According to criminal complaints provided by the Mingo County Magistrate Clerk’s office, two defendants were arrested on charges that include driving under the influence, among others.
Leonard R. Simpson, 46, of Wharncliffe, was taken into custody by West Virginia State Police (WVSP) Trooper J.R. Tupper, being charged with DUI, carrying a concealed deadly weapon and failure to stop prior to entering the roadway.
The arrest report states that the trooper observed a vehicle operated by Simpson fail to stop prior to entering U.S. Rt. 52 from the parking lot of the Speedway Service Station in Gilbert. A traffic stop was conducted and upon making contact with the driver, the officer reportedly observed pill residue in the defendant’s nasal cavity. Field sobriety tests were administered, which Simpson allegedly failed to complete. During the search of the defendant’s vehicle, the trooper discovered a concealed knife with a blade in excess of three and one half inches.
Simpson was transported to the Mingo County Magistrate Court where he was arraigned before Magistrate Pam Newsome, who issued a bond in the amount of $1,400.
Joseph Allen Colangelo, 32, of Avondale, was also arrested by Trooper Tupper in an unrelated incident on charges of DUI, 3rd offense, failure to maintain control of vehicle, defective equipment and destruction of property.
Tupper’s complaint reads that the defendant willfully operated a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and prescription medication. Colangelo was involved in a single-vehicle crash in which he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and struck a concrete column located on the property of Harry Cline. The defendant’s vehicle was said to have a defective window in the rear of the truck that obscured the driver’s ability to properly see.
Colangelo was unable to complete a series of three field sobriety tests administered by Tupper and also had a measured blood alcohol content of 0.196. He had two prior DUI convictions in 2010 and 2011.
The defendant was arraigned by Magistrate Dee Sidebottom and was jailed on a $1,200 bond.
§17C-9-4. Vehicle entering highway from private road or driveway.
The driver of a vehicle about to enter or cross a highway from a private road or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on said highway.
The relevant language in the code states YIELD, not stop. I’m not sure the arresting officer had probable cause to stop the vehicle in the first place.