A driver was arrested in the wee hours last Saturday after a caller reported a car was driving on railroad tracks in Linton. The driver denied driving on the tracks, but he ended up in jail after failing sobriety testing and breath test results showed a BAC of .155.

Jeremiah Edward Damron, 36, Linton, was arrested by Officer Caleb Walker of the Linton Police Department early last Saturday, October 16.

Around 12:28 a.m. last Saturday, LPD Dispatch got a call from a resident who said a small black car had turned onto some railroad tracks and the driver was possibly intoxicated. Before officers arrived in the area, the resident called back and said the car had gotten off the tracks and was on 7th Street SE.

After officers arrived and witnesses were being interviewed, Officer Walker went to the caller’s house to talk to a man and woman who were there about what they had witnessed. The man said he was sitting inside when he saw headlights through the window and didn’t think the angle of the light was correct for a car crossing the nearby tracks. He said the car appeared to have turned too early and was on the tracks, actually on the rails, then was going from drive to reverse while giving it the gas. He said the car then jumped the rail while in reverse and returned to the roadway, went east, then south on 7th Street SE.

When Officer Walker first arrived on scene with Officer Alan Jackson, a black 2010 Nissan Sentra was sitting stationary in the middle of the roadway with the engine running and two men and a woman standing outside the vehicle.

One of the men, later identified as Jeremiah Damron, had blood on the left side of his face and his jeans were wet and covered in mud and grass. Officer Walker reported Damron was unable to stand still due to swaying and stumbling. Damron allegedly said he had not been driving the car but two witnesses said he had. When asked about the blood on his face, he said he and a friend had an argument.

Damron was transported to the police department where he allegedly failed field sobriety testing then took a certified chemical test with results showing he had a blood alcohol concentration of .155. The legal limit is .08.

After testing, Damron allegedly confirmed he’d been drinking Twisted Teas since 8:30 p.m. then was drinking at the friend’s house where they got into an argument. He said he jumped in his car and made it maybe 100 yards when he realized he’d left his phone behind and he stopped. He said that’s when police arrived. He denied driving on the railroad tracks.

Damron was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:48 a.m. with bond set at $4,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $400 and was released later the same day.

When he appears in Greene Superior Court on October 28 for his initial hearing, he’ll be facing charges of:

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor,

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and

• Operating a vehicle with an alcohol concentration equivalent to .15 or more, a Class A misdemeanor.