Authorities charged a Salisbury man with driving while impaired and numerous traffic infractions after he was seen driving an all-terrain vehicle on the roadway near Morlan Park Road. The man took Salisbury Police on a short chase Saturday afternoon while on the ATV and then a foot chase.
Lawrence William Witherspoon IV, 32, of the 600 block of Gold Hill Drive, was charged with impaired driving, not having required lights on a motorcycle, no rear lights, no financial responsibility, no operator’s license, riding a motorcycle without a helmet, operating a vehicle on the highway without registration, all misdemeanors. He was also charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest.
The officer spotted Witherspoon just before 7 p.m. When officers tried stop the ATV, Witherspoon continued to Pearl Street, towards Davis Street, and onto Foster Lane and through a field before jumping from the ATV. He ran behind some apartments on Pearl Street, where he was arrested by police. Officers found a key that matched the ATV he ditched in the 200 block of Pearl Street.
Officers noted Witherspoon had bloodshot eyes and an odor of alcohol. He refused a Breathalyzer test.
He has since been released from the Rowan County Detention Center under a $2,500 secured bond.
Witherspoon has been convicted of assault on a female and trespassing, both misdemeanors.