Sparks And Smoke Alert Stafford Deputy To Pull Over Vehicle

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — In a late night ride on Route 17, a Fredericksburg man was driving without his headlights and with a damaged front wheel producing sparks and smoke. A Stafford County Sheriff's deputy noticed the sparks and smoke and pulled over the driver on Lichfield Boulevard, just off Route 17. When he looked inside the vehicle, the deputy saw its air bags had been deployed and smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage, according to the sheriff's office.

The driver's eyes were bloodshot and glassy and his speech was slurred, the deputy reported. When the deputy tried to use a search warrant to draw blood from the driver, the 23-year-old man became belligerent, according to the sheriff's office.

As part of its investigation into last Thursday's incident, the sheriff's office spoke to a witness who saw the vehicle run a red light and crash into a ditch, striking a telephone pole. The crash caused significant damage to vehicle, but the driver was able to keep going until the deputy, around 11:30 p.m., saw the sparks and smoke coming from the vehicle's wheel.

The Fredericksburg man, who was jailed at the Rappahannock Regional Jail, was charged with driving under the influence, refusal, hit and run, and disorderly conduct, according to the sheriff's office.