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ADRIAN -- An Upshur County man faces felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly driving under the influence and causing a collision accident with an infant in the vehicle.
Zackery John Stotler, 35, is charged with one count of destruction of property and one count of child neglect creating substantial risk of serious injury or death, both felonies. He is also charged with one count of DUI habitual user and one count of DUI with a minor, both misdemeanors. Stotler is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $25,000 cash-only bond.
According to the criminal complaints filed by Sgt. Tyler A. Gordon with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on July 9, deputies with the Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Adrian School Road in Adrian, Upshur County in relation to a 911 call claiming a hit and run vehicle crash.
Upon arrival, Deputy Lamb located the vehicle matching the description of the offender in the hit and run incident described by the caller, the complaint states. The caller said she was a passenger in a U-Haul truck and the vehicle was hit by a “dark-colored pickup truck.” During the investigation, Lt. Powers arrived at the scene and spoke to the caller in person. It allegedly became evident through interviews that the driver of the U-Haul truck was actually at fault for the crash, and the driver of the pickup truck had not, in fact, left the scene. The driver of the U-Haul was identified as Stotler.
It was reportedly determined that Stotler had become upset that the pickup truck was allegedly following him “too closely,” the complaint states. Stotler allegedly pulled off the roadway, allowed the pickup truck to pass and then sped up to catch the truck. He then reportedly passed the truck on a double yellow line, in a blind curve, and collided with the rear tire of the pickup truck. This collision allegedly caused damage believed to exceed $2,500.
At the time of the incident, a one-year-old child was inside the U-Haul truck, the complaint states. There was reportedly no car seat located in the U-Haul truck despite the original caller claiming the child had been in a car seat.
Lamb allegedly observed Stotler fall down and exhibit slurred speech along with erratic movements and behavior, the complaint states. Gordon then arrived on the scene and performed standard field sobriety tests and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) tests on Stotler. Stotler allegedly displayed numerous signs on impairment. During the tests, Stotler allegedly estimated 30 seconds to be approximately two seconds, which Gordon writes is consistent with impairment by methamphetamine.
Stotler allegedly admitted to using methamphetamine the day prior and that he has struggled with a methamphetamine addiction since he was 15-years-old. He reportedly consented to a blood draw at St. Joseph’s Hospital.