A 32-year-old Stafford man left a line of carnage during a drunk driving incident Saturday morning. Luckily, the only other line he would be following was one directly to jail.

On March 16th at approximately 2:05 a.m. First Sergeant D.W. Fetterolf and Deputy M.A. Holub responded to a single vehicle auto accident at the intersection of Clarion Drive and Ferry Road. It was advised a vehicle was in a ditch. The caller would further advise the driver threw a backpack in the nearby woods prior to deputies’ arrival. When deputies arrived, they located the Ford still in the ditch with the driver calmly smoking next to it.

It was discovered the vehicle went off the Ferry Road, demolished a mailbox, and struck down a street sign before going airborne across Clarion Drive right into the ditch. Deputies easily located the poorly hidden backpack and discovered suspected controlled substances inside. The driver had glassy, bloodshot eyes and the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath. When deputies inquired how much he had to drink, it took the driver nearly thirty seconds before responding. He advised he did not know how to answer the question.

The driver, identified as Steven Bates, was charged with driving under the influence, two counts of destruction of property, possession of controlled substances, possession of controlled paraphernalia, and the traffic lane violation. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $3,000 secured bond.