G’town man arrested for drugs, resisting in Salem

By: 
Staff Writer Kate Wehlann

Just after noon on Tuesday, June 27, Deputies Ryan Larrimore and Brad Naugle were dispatched to a home on West Pump Station Road in Salem after a caller reported a suspicious man had backed his truck into her driveway and knocked on the door. The woman said he hadn’t answered the door and couldn’t see the man, but the truck was still there and she thought he might be on the property somewhere.

Naugle arrived and found a red Chevrolet pick-up backed into the driveway and the man in question, Timothy Newman, 37, Georgetown, standing in front of it. He told the officer he had been traveling east on Pump Station Road and had run out of gas. Newman said he was able to let the truck roll backwards into the driveway and that a neighbor, who lives two houses west of the driveway he’d stopped in, told him he would give Newman a gallon of gas for his truck if he could walk to said neighbor’s house.

Larrimore and process server Mark Blackman arrived at the scene to assist and when Newman asked if he could go to the neighbor’s home to get gas, Blackman drove him there. He quickly returned with Newman and told Naugle the neighbor told him she didn’t know what Newman was talking about and had not offered anyone any gas.

Newman denied there being anything illegal in his truck and consented when Naugle asked if he could search it. As Naugle began his search, he noticed Newman was acting very nervous and became agitated. Naugle stopped the search and asked what a man from Georgetown was doing on Pump Station Road.
Newman claimed to be visiting his sister, who lived in the trailer park across from Eastern High School and that he was “just out driving around.” Naugle asked him why, if he was low on gas, he would be out driving around in the country and Newman replied he was going to Casey’s Store to get a sandwich and then became extremely angry and screamed, “Why won’t anybody ever believe me?”

Naugle explained the story didn’t make sense and asked if Newman had anything in his pockets. While searching the pockets, with Newman begrudgingly pulling the pockets out to show the officers, Naugle noticed a clear plastic baggie sticking out between two of Newman’s fingers. He asked Newman what was in his hand, but he denied anything being there and kept his hand in a fist.

Naugle asked again and Newman took off running toward the back yard. Naugle ordered him to stop, but Newman continued and, after a short pursuit, Naugle shot his taser, striking Newman, who fell to the ground, then got back up and continued running. The prongs had not made good contact with Newman’s skin, so Naugle deployed the taser a second time. Newman fell again and stayed on the ground, but refused to put his hands behind his back and tried to place the baggie in his mouth. After a short struggle, Naugle got the baggie, which contained methamphetamine, out of his mouth.

After a struggle involving two other officers and another three-second burst with the taser, Newman complied and officers were able to handcuff him behind his back.

Newman was transported to the Washington County Detention Center and charged with the following: possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, maintaining a common nuisance, resisting law enforcement.

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