DIAZ, Ark. – An officer of the law found himself on the wrong side of the law Tuesday night when an Arkansas State Trooper pulled him over and arrested him for suspicion of drunk driving.
The ticket was obtained by NEA Report from Arkansas State Police through a records request made on Wednesday.
Adam Joseph Zitzelberger, 26, of Hoxie, was stopped at 7:51 PM Tuesday night on State Highway 367 near State Highway 18 in Diaz. Radar showed he was driving 61 miles per hour in a 45 MPH zone, the ticket states. Zitzelberger was stopped in a gray 2018 Jeep Compass by Cpl. R. Stewart with Arkansas State Police.
In addition to exceeding the speed limit by over 15 miles per hour, Zitzelberger was heavily intoxicated, the report indicates. The Arkansas State trooper gave Zitzelberger a breath test that registered 0.18 – over twice the legal limit of 0.08.
Zitzelberger was arrested at the scene and taken to Jackson County jail. He was booked at 10:11 PM Tuesday and released Wednesday morning at 9 AM, after spending an entire night sobering up. His court appearance is scheduled for 9 AM on October 23, 2019.
Zitzelberger was last known to be employed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy. He was formerly a Walnut Ridge Police Department officer too, video from his Facebook profile shows.
But his most notable acts which have garnered attention (before Tuesday) were threatening messages the law officer sent to NEA Report, literally demanding we stop covering news stories.
The messages were regarding our Washington Post-acclaimed coverage of the abuse of a railroad worker in Walnut Ridge by police. Among the ominous messages, Zitzelberger wrote that this reporter “better make sure you have never made a mistake in your life.”
But the mystery behind Zitzelberger’s messages came in their timing. He sent his messages almost a full year after our reports. We were not actively covering the story at the time his messages were sent.
As far as we know, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department took no action.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department hasn’t responded for request for comment on Zitzelberger’s status within the department. We also contacted Zitzelberger to ask him about the incident but he did not answer his phone or return our messages.
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