June 29, 2013 was not a good day for Jovan Chesmon Smith. Whatever intent he may have had when he left home, it surely did not include ruining a pleasant weekend by having a run in with the authorities and getting arrested for driving under the influence.
According to Grazia Moyers, Virginia Beach Police Department, the incident took place at 7.15 pm when Smith was driving north on Independence Boulevard. As he turned left on Euclid Road, he accelerated and rammed into a vehicle in the next lane.
In an effort to take control, Smith overcorrected his vehicle, causing him to cross over the median. Before he knew it, he had crashed into a police car. To make matters worse, the police car was not unoccupied. It was carrying, at that time, a police officer and his chaplain. Finally, Smith’s out of control car flipped on its side and came to rest in front of Best Buy, on the sidewalk. On the brighter side, nobody involved in the crash were injured in any way.
32-year old Smith was arrested on the spot and faces several charges, the first of which is driving under the influence. At the time of the incident, his blood alcohol concentration was higher than 0.20. This is significantly above the legal limit to drive in Virginia, which is 0.08. In fact, according to the police department, this is Smith’s second DUI charge within 5-10 years. This makes him a repeat offender, automatically inviting a higher penalty.
The other charges that have been brought against Smith include following too close, unauthorized use of inspection sticker, no seatbelt, and no insurance. A resident of Virginia Beach, Smith is currently being held without bond at the Virginia Beach Correctional Centre. His appearance in court has been scheduled for the 16th.
