Sheriff’s Department Makes Arrests for DUI and Aggravated Assault

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department has made arrests recently for three separate offenses of DUI and one case of aggravated assault.
28 year old Stephen Hunter Pugh of Woodbury Highway Liberty is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence. He was further issued a citation for driving on a revoked license, failure to maintain his lane of travel, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is $3,000 and he will be in court April 10.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Tuesday, March 18 while driving east on Highway 70 near Snow Hill, a deputy spotted Pugh in physical control of a motor vehicle. According to the officer, Pugh left his lane of travel several times and at one point nearly crashed into a DeKalb County School Bus heading west on Highway 70. The bus was able to swerve out of the way to prevent a collision.
Pugh turned onto New Home Road and stopped at a business. The deputy made contact with him there. According to the officer, Pugh had slurred speech. He was unsteady on his feet and he submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. He also consented to a blood test. Pugh admitted to taking several drugs the night prior. He also admitted to driving the vehicle, saying he was going to the scrap yard to get money for his grandparents.
After conducting field sobriety tasks and speaking with the complainants who all witnessed the event, the officer determined that Pugh was in physical control of the vehicle while being under the influence of alcohol and or drugs. A computer check revealed his driver’s license were revoked. Drug paraphernalia was also found on his person.
28 year old Dustin Matthew Perry of Hickman is charged with driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license. His bond is $3,000 and he will be in court on April 17. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, March 22 a deputy was dispatched to Dale Ridge Road at 1:23 a.m. in response to an automobile accident. Upon arrival, the officer made contact with Perry who was unsteady on his feet. Perry’s speech was slurred and he had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his person. According to the deputy, Perry admitted to drinking three to four beers earlier in the night. Perry submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Perry also told the officer that he did not have a valid driver’s license. A computer check confirmed that Perry’s license were suspended for failure to satisfy citations in Smith County. He was arrested and brought to the jail for booking.
46 year old Jerry Lynn Merryman of Keltonburg Road is charged with driving under the influence. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court April 24. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, March 28, a drug detective was dispatched in response to a vehicle that was reported to be driving recklessly on Highway 70 west in Liberty. The detective spotted a Dodge flatbed truck that was all over the roadway on Highway 70 west in Liberty near College Street. The officer activated his emergency equipment but the truck kept going until it got to the intersection of Highway 70 and Dry Creek Road in Dowelltown. After pulling over the truck, the detective made contact with Merryman, the driver. When Merryman exited the vehicle, the detective noticed Merryman’s pants were wet. Merryman said that he had urinated on himself. Merryman was also unsteady on his feet. He had a strong odor of alcohol on his person and his speech was slurred. The detective asked Merryman to perform a standard field sobriety task. After performing poorly on the task, Merryman refused to do any more but he did submit to a blood test. Merryman was placed under arrest.
39 year old Cecil McKinley Ketchum of Dedmon Hollow Road, Liberty is charged with aggravated assault. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court April 14. Sheriff Ray said that on Friday, March 28 a deputy responded to a domestic violence call at Ketchum’s home. Upon arrival, the officer observed a vehicle there with broken windows and three flat tires. Ketchum and a woman were both inside the home engaged in a verbal argument. Ketchum told the officer that he disabled the vehicle with a knife and axe to keep the woman from leaving. The woman also suffered an injury when Ketchum shut a door to the vehicle on the woman’s hand. Ketchum was determined to be the primary aggressor and he was taken into custody.