A driver, who allegedly gave it the gas and fishtailed his truck on a gravel road in eastern Greene County last week, crashed through a fence and ended up 250 feet off the roadway. He's also accused of kicking a paramedic and a deputy.

Gary Dale Deckard, 64, Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Sergeant Jordan Allor of the Greene County Sheriff's Department. Deckard was booked into the Greene County Jail at 12:16 AM on Thursday, August 4, following a crash that occurred on Wednesday, August 3.

Around 8:48 PM last Wednesday, Sergeant Allor was dispatched to a crash involving one vehicle on North Ray Road south of Washboard Road in the Solsberry area. As he arrived on the scene, he saw marks in the gravel going from one side of the road to the other in a fishtail motion then tire marks that led off the roadway through a fence and out into a field.

A 1987 Ford F-150 was sitting about 250 feet off the road in a field on the east side of the roadway. Deckard, who was sitting in the driver seat, said he was alright and that his cousin drove the truck off into the field. Asked about his cousin's name, Deckard allegedly said it was “Bubby.”

Sergeant Allor reported Deckard showed signs of impairment including slurred speech with the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. He had a hard time speaking in complete sentences and a hard time keeping his balance when he got out of the truck. When asked what happened up on the road and how he ended up in the field, Deckard allegedly said he didn't know but “looked like a goat.” He said his cousin had gone to get help. When they walked back up to the roadway and had to cross a fence, Deckerd lost his balance and fell.

Sergeant Allor talked to three witnesses who saw the crash occur. According to Sergeant Allor’s report, they said Deckard was going too fast, that he got on the gas, did a fishtail, lost control of the truck and went over the hill. None of them saw anyone else around the vehicle.

The deputy attempted to conduct standard field sobriety tests but that did not go well and Deckard refused a portable breath test. After he was transported to the Greene County Sheriff's Department, tests there did not go well and were stopped for safety reasons and Deckard refused consent to a chemical test. A search warrant was issued and a blood draw was obtained - results pending.

During the attempt to get a blood draw taken, Deckard was allegedly verbally abusive toward the ambulance staff and law enforcement officers, trying to pull his arm away and refusing to hold still. He is accused of kicking a paramedic then kicking a deputy and threatening to spit in one of their eyeballs. The initial attempt to get a blood draw was not successful but after he was told he could be charged with indirect contempt of court for not cooperating with the search warrant, Deckard agreed to the blood draw and it was obtained successfully.

Deckard’s bond was set at $12,000 surety with 10% cash allowed. He has since posted bond and been released from custody.

When he appears for his initial hearing in Greene Superior Court on August 11, he will be formally charged with:

Battery against a law enforcement officer, a Level 6 felony,
Battery against a law enforcement officer, a Level 6 felony,
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor, and
Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.