Patrol car struck by drunk driver

On October 16, 2022, around 3:00 a.m. Officer Vines of the Missouri State Highway Patrol was working his shift when according to the probable cause statement he noticed a blue Chevrolet Silverado pulled off onto the mile marker 100 exit. Officer Vines approached the vehicle and found the driver asleep behind the wheel with his foot on the brake and the truck in drive. Officer Vines attempted to make contact with the driver, but when he got no response he began to flash his light, shouting and smacking his hand against the window.

The driver of the truck, identified as Ryan J. Jefferson, took two minutes to wake. Upon Jefferson waking up Officer Vines asked him to put the vehicle in park. Jefferson attempted multiple times and eventually just turned off the ignition, leaving the truck in drive. Officer Vines asked Jefferson to open the door however after multiple attempts to unlock the door and open it, Jefferson ended up taking his foot off the brake causing his truck to roll back into the patrol car.

Officer Vines moved to the passenger side of the truck to try and gain entry into the truck, however, the passenger door was locked.

After more attempts from Jefferson to unlock the vehicle, he was eventually successful and Officer Vines was able to gain entry into the truck. Once he was able to view Jefferson, he noticed he had a “medium-sized laceration to his right hand and had been bleeding”. Officer Vines radioed for EMS services to join him on the scene.

According to the probable cause statement, Officer Vines was able to get Jefferson to exit his vehicle. Upon exiting Officer Vines asked Jefferson how much he had to drink, to which Jefferson replied “Uh, not much man.” When asked how he received the cut on his hand, Jefferson was unable to communicate or provide an explanation.

Officer Vines offered Jefferson a preliminary breath test which resulted in a 0.155% blood alcohol content, (the legal limit is 0.08%). Due to safety concerns for Jefferson, Officer Vines performed no other field sobriety tests. Officer Vines reported that due to his experience, training, the PBT test, and the behavior exhibited by Jefferson he believed Jefferson to be “intoxicated and unable to safely operate a motor vehicle”. Officer Vines placed Jefferson under arrest for driving while intoxicated.

EMS arrived to provide medical assistance as well as perform a chemical test of his blood to which Jefferson agreed. Jefferson has no prior history of alcohol-related convictions. He is being charged with a class B misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated.