W’burg man allegedly intoxicated when he struck deputy’s police cruiser, one other car

Williamsburg Police Sgt. Brandon White administers a field sobriety test to Roy Lawson Friday afternoon after Lawson sideswiped two vehicles, including a sheriff’s department police cruiser.

A Williamsburg man was allegedly driving while intoxicated when he sideswiped two cars Friday afternoon, including one Whitley County Sheriff’s Department police cruiser.

Suffice it to say, he is facing criminal charges.

Fortunately no one was injured.

Williamsburg Police Sgt. Brandon White said that Roy William Lawson, 40, of Maple Creek Drive, would be charged with second offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol/drugs, second-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Other charges are also possible.

“He was under the influence. I placed him under arrest then I recovered some drug evidence off of him,” White noted.

The accident happened about 4 p.m. on Ky. 92E about two miles east of the US25W intersection.

Lawson was driving a Mitsubishi Gallant west on Ky. 92E going towards Williamsburg when he crossed the center line and first sideswiped a blue Kia Rio, which was driven by Emogene Gardner, and then a Dodge Charger police cruiser driven by Sheriff’s Deputy John Hill, White said.

Gardner said she and Hill were both heading towards the Gatliff area when the accident happened.

“The guy was going towards town. He was probably going every bit of 80 mph. He kept coming over in the wrong lane, and kept coming and kept coming,” Gardner said. “I tried to get around him and so did the cop but he hit us any way. He hit us hard. He hit us hard enough to where it took off the paint beside the door of my car.”

In addition, the impact of the crash punctured the rear driver’s side tire and damaged the rim of Gardner’s vehicle.

“He was moving on,” she noted saying the accident wasn’t too scary. “I was just more worried about going over the bluff on the other side than I was anything.”

Lawson stopped his vehicle about 100 yards or so past the other two vehicles. There were three passengers in his vehicle.

Whitley County EMS responded to the scene, but didn’t transport anyone to the hospital.

White said that it is fortunate the accident wasn’t much worse.

The sheriff’s cruiser sustained similar damage to the driver’s side as Gardner’s vehicle, and except it had a cracked windshield and the rear tire wasn’t flat. It was still driveable.

Goldbug Volunteer Fire Department provided traffic control at the accident scene.

About the time White was preparing to leave the accident scene and take Lawson to jail, Lawson started complaining that he might be having a seizure.

White transported him to Baptist Health Corbin to get checked out and have blood drawn before taking him to jail.

Williamsburg Police Officer David Rowe and several sheriff’s deputies, including Chief Deputy Tim Baker, also assisted at the scene.