A California man was arrested early Wednesday morning after he was allegedly involved in a hit and run accident on W. Kentucky Ave.
Ruston Police responded to the intersection of Kentucky Avenue and Arcadia Drive about 3 a.m. Wednesday morning regarding a hit and run. It was believed the suspect vehicle was heavily damaged so an officer patrolled West Kentucky Ave attempting to locate it. The officer saw a vehicle approaching with only one headlight that crossed into the oncoming lane of travel. The vehicle matched the description of the hit and run suspect and had sustained heavy damage.
A traffic stop was attempted on the vehicle which drove into the front lawn of a Kentucky Ave residence. The driver was directed numerous times to step out of the vehicle but he refused. Officers heard the driver yelling at a female on the phone and made the statement, “I’m as drunk as —-.”
Officers approached the vehicle and extracted the driver and placed him under arrest. A strong odor of alcoholic beverages was detected on Jeremiah Cole, 18, of Rialto, Calif. Cole was taken to the North Louisiana Medical Center emergency room for evaluation due to his suspected high level of intoxication.
After he was medically cleared and taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center, Cole performed poorly on field sobriety tests. He submitted to a breath test, providing a sample showing a blood alcohol concentration of 0.218g%.
Cole was booked for DWI, open container in a vehicle, careless operation, hit and run driving, improper lane usage, and resisting an officer.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
