A rural Bloomfield man was arrested over the weekend after a deputy responded to a report of suspicious activity in the area of the Viaduct.

Elijah Bartholomew Query, 25, Bloomfield, was arrested by Deputy Jordan Allor of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department over the weekend.

Last Saturday, July 18, Deputy Allor was dispatched to the Viaduct Observation Deck around 9:10 p.m. after a caller reported suspicious behavior by a man in a red Dodge pickup truck. Deputy Allor located the truck northbound on North Viaduct Road headed toward East Tulip Road and he followed it eastbound on E. Tulip Road.

Deputy Allor reported the truck was traveling left of center and he initiated a traffic stop near North Verde Valley Road but the truck didn’t stop until they had traveled another quarter-mile.

Deputy Allor said Query got out of the truck staggering and said he didn’t stop earlier because he didn’t see the red and blue lights. Query allegedly claimed he was not driving the truck and that another man was driving but he “split” when the truck was pulled over.

According to the deputy, Query failed standard field sobriety testing, tested with a .198 BAC on a portable breathylzer but refused to take a certified chemical breath test then refused a blood draw. A search warrant was approved and a blood draw was completed – results pending.

Records showed Query’s driver’s license was suspended. A 9 mm handgun with a live round in the chamber and 11 rounds inside the magazine was found in the passenger seat of the truck, but records showed Query did not have a license to carry a handgun and he was denied a firearm license on June 18.

Query was booked into the Greene County Jail at 2:03 a.m. on Sunday, July 19. His bond was set at $13,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $1,300 and was released later the same day.

Query is scheduled to appear in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing next Thursday, July 30.

He is facing preliminary charges of:

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

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

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction within seven years, a Level 6 felony,

• Operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person with a prior within seven years, a Level 6 felony,

• Resisting law enforcement, using a vehicle, a Level 6 felony, and

• Carrying a handgun without a license, a Class A misdemeanor.