MONTICELLO, Ark. — Dash camera video obtained by NEA Report shows an on-duty Arkansas State Police corporal swerving across U.S. Highway 278, nearly colliding head-on with another motorist and eventually driving his agency vehicle into a ditch.
Cpl. John M. Parker, 45, of Camden was arrested Aug. 21 on charges of driving while intoxicated/drugs and careless and prohibited driving, according to ASP. He resigned from the agency two days later.
The video shows Parker’s vehicle repeatedly moving across the roadway and entering the opposing lane. At one point, the vehicle narrowly misses an oncoming motorist before returning to its lane. Parker’s vehicle later leaves the highway and crashes into a roadside ditch.
The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 7:30 p.m. near Monticello. Parker was not injured.
ASP said standardized field sobriety tests administered after the crash indicated impairment. Parker was taken to the Drew County Detention Center.
Parker was initially placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. ASP announced Aug. 23 that he had resigned. He had worked for the agency since 2014.
The ASP Office of Professional Standards is conducting an internal investigation, while the agency’s Highway Patrol Division is investigating the crash. No additional information was released.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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