At 1:50 a.m. on July 14, Officer J. Dodge observed a possibly intoxicated driver and conducted a traffic stop on Crain Highway at Rosewick Road in La Plata. However, as the officer approached the vehicle the driver sped away.
The accused driver, Justin Stoddert Matthews, 23, of Indian Head, continued south on Crain Highway at a high rate of speed and turned onto Hawthorne Road where he struck a road sign, then stopped his vehicle in the 10 block of Hawthorne Road.
Matthews was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and numerous traffic violations. He is being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before the district court commissioner. Neither the officers nor Matthews sustained any injuries.