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Washington County man jailed in DUI pursuit

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McMECHEN, W.Va. – A Marshall County sheriff’s deputy was injured while attempting to stop a suspected drunken driver from Washington County from leaving a convenience store.

On July 11, police said they were told that a drunken man at Jerry’s Mini-Mart in McMechen was staggering throughout the store and urinating in the parking lot before climbing into his truck. As police responded to the scene, a truck matching the description passed police, which led to a traffic stop.

Deputy Nate Klempa was first to the truck, stepping onto the running board of the stopped truck, which then allegedly sped off, sending Klempa to the ground. A McMechen police officer pursued the driver, with the chase ending in an alley near Lincoln Street.

The driver, Kenneth Tucker, 49, of Prosperity, was detained in the back of his cruiser while the officer went to check on Klempa, who suffered several scrapes and bruises from the fall. Klempa was later treated and released from WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale.

Police said Tucker showed several signs of impairment, and that his car contained an open bottle of rum and two bottles of pills, which were prescribed to him. Police said Tucker told them he took the medication several times a day.

Tucker was charged with malicious assault, obstructing an officer, fleeing from an officer, DUI, and failure to stop at a stop sign. He is being held at the Northern Regional Jail in lieu of $150,000 bond.

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