BUCKHANNON – A Buckhannon man was arrested after allegedly fleeing from a police officer while intoxicated and with a child in the vehicle.
Travis Lane, 32, of Buckhannon was arrested for fleeing with reckless indifference, fleeing while driving under the influence and child neglect creating a risk of injury.
According to the criminal complaint in the Upshur County Magistrate Clerk’s Office, at approximately 2:06 p.m. on Jan. 26, sheriff’s deputy TR Collins was sitting at a red light at the Sheetz and Walmart intersection when a gold SUV traveling at a high rate of speed in the turning lane passed a school bus that was heading straight.
Collins activated his lights and siren and then proceeded to do a U-turn. He caught up to the vehicle near the Route 20 underpass, and then the SUV took a hard left at the Lowes light, where there was oncoming traffic coming from the north. According to the report, the SUV continued at a high rate of speed into the Lowes parking lot before coming to an abrupt stop.
The driver, Lane, put his hand out the window and was pointing towards the passenger side. Collins ordered Lane to get out of the vehicle and instructed him to back towards him, where he placed Lane in handcuffs. While doing so, Collins allegedly smelled the odor of alcohol.
Lane told the officer he was trying to get the little girl in his car to the hospital because she had COVID. Collins asked him why he was driving erratically, and Lane allegedly said he “cared more about his little girl than the other people” and he wanted to get her to the hospital because she was spitting up blood.
Collins attempted to help Lane to his police car, but he allegedly tensed up and was pulling away.
“I assisted Mr. Lane to the ground, told him to quit resisting and please comply,” Collins wrote in the complaint. “He told me knew his rights and wanted a blood draw immediately. He also said I need to let him go because he was the president of Buckhannon.”
Collins took Lane to the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, where he declined to take breathalyzer and field sobriety tests and asked to go the hospital for a blood draw.
Upon arrival at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Lane allegedly admitted to drinking the night prior and said he had not slept for a couple of days. Lane said he did not know Collins was stopping him because there were other cars between them, but the officer noted that there were no such cars when he was right behind Lane’s vehicle, the file states.
“During this whole encounter, Mr. Lane did have slow and slurred speech, and I did have to assist him walking some,” Collins wrote in the complaint. “Mr. Lane also had glassy eyes.”
The child’s mother told officers that Lane was the sole caretaker of the child on this day and no other adult was around to her knowledge. CPS responded and gave the girl back to her mother.
Bail was set at $75,000 cash only by Upshur County Magistrate Alan Suder.
The potential penalty for fleeing with reckless indifference is confinement in a state correctional facility not less than one nor more than five years and a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $2,000. The potential penalty for fleeing while driving under the influence is confinement in a state correctional facility not less than three nor more than 10 years. The potential penalty for child neglect creating risk of injury is confinement in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than five years, or a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $3,000, or both.
