An armed Scranton man allegedly passed out in his running pickup at a convenience store gas pump in Perry early Monday.
Catlin Dale McDonald, 36, of 1711 G Ave., Scranton, was charged with possession or carrying of dangerous weapons while under the influence, first-offense OWI and interference with official acts and was issued a citation for open container.
The incident began shortly after midnight Monday in the 1200 block of First Avenue in Perry, where a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff observed at a gas station a parked pickup truck that “was on and running” and with “a male slumped over in the driver’s seat,” according to court records.
The deputy observed an open beer in the center console of the truck.
The deputy made contact with the driver, McDonald, who “smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage and was passed out in the seat,” according to court records. Awoken, McDonald presented with “slurred speech and was not making sense.”
McDonald “could not figure out how to shut his car off while in the parking lot,” according to court records. Once out of the vehicle, he refused field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test.
McDonald “attempted to get back” in his vehicle, but the deputy prevented him, and McDonald then “actively resisted,” leading to his being “placed in handcuffs and in the back seat of a patrol car.”
A probable-cause search of McDonald’s vehicle disclosed a Ruger 10-22 rifle “within reach of McDonald and on the floor on the passenger’s side,” according to court records.
McDonald is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 11 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
