Corbin man arrested for felony DUI

What began as a traffic stop for not wearing a seat belt, ended with a Corbin man facing a felony DUI charge Wednesday night.

Kentucky State Police arrested Paul Brown, 47, following a traffic stop on Hedden Flats Road off of Tower Road near the Corbin bypass.

Trooper Sammy Farris stated in the arrest citation that he initially conducted the traffic stop at approximately 6:15 p.m. as the driver of the Toyota van, later identified as Brown, was observed not to be wearing a seat belt, and the vehicle’s registration plates were not valid.

Farris stated that upon approaching the vehicle to speak with Brown, he could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside.

“I asked Mr. Brown to exit the vehicle and observed he was unsteady on his feet,” Farris stated adding that Brown failed multiple field sobriety tests.

“I questioned Mr. Brown as to what he had taken this date. He stated took his prescribed Gabapentin and drank a couple beers,” Farris wrote in the arrest citation.

Dispatchers advised Farris that Brown’s driver’s license was currently suspended and that he had an active arrest warrant.

“I was further advised by dispatch that this was Mr. Brown’s fourth DUI,” Farris stated.

According to the arrest citation, the results of a blood test to determine alcohol level are pending.

Brown was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs/etc. – fourth or greater offense, careless driving, operating on a suspended or revoked operator’s license, no registration receipt, failure to wear seat belts, failure to maintain required insurance, failure to produce insurance card and failure to notify address change to department of transportation.

Brown is being held in the Knox County Detention Center on a $5,000 cash bond.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Knox District Court and is scheduled to return to court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to present the case to the Knox County Grand Jury.

Under Kentucky law, fourth offense DUI is a class ‘D’ felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of one to five years.