BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

LOVELY — A Jeep Cherokee was left partially hanging over a hillside along Long Branch Road in Lovely on Feb. 28, leading Kentucky State Police to arrest the man authorities say had been driving it.

John M. Stevens, 45, of Lovely, faces charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (first offense), failure to produce an insurance card, failure of an owner to maintain required insurance, failure to wear a seat belt, failure to have a driver’s license in possession, and abandonment of a vehicle on a public road.

A trooper dispatched to the scene shortly before 1:30 p.m. located a Jeep Cherokee with its passenger-side tires still on the roadway while the rest of the vehicle hung over a hill.

The officer contacted a wrecker service to remove the vehicle.

According to the citation, Stevens arrived at the scene on the back of a four-wheeler driven by his brother, demanding that the vehicle be released to him. After the Jeep was pulled back onto the roadway, Stevens attempted to move it before his brother stopped him and told him the wrecker’s chain was still attached.

The trooper reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol coming from Stevens.

Stevens allegedly said, “referring to last night,” that he had been “just up the holler” and had “drunk a little and went too far.”

Field sobriety testing indicated impairment, according to the citation. The trooper reported observing six out of six clues of impairment during the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. He also reported that Stevens had glassy red eyes and slurred speech and was unable to complete additional field sobriety tests.

Authorities transported Stevens to Paintsville ARH Hospital, where he denied a blood draw, before lodging him in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.

All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.