You would think that a police officer who is aware of the dangers of drunk driving would avoid such behavior like the plague. Not so, it seems. A Memphis police officer has been arrested this week for driving under the influence and reckless driving after he caused an accident.
According to news reports, the accident occurred on highway 385 this Tuesday at about 2:50 in the morning. Major Prentiss Jolly was driving a pickup truck when he suddenly changed lanes without warning, and side swiped another car. According to police officers as they were talking to Jolly, they detected the odor of alcohol on his breath. Jolly was asked to submit to a field sobriety test, and not surprisingly refused. He was immediately arrested, and charged with driving under the influence, public intoxication and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol test and reckless driving.
Jolly has been with Memphis police since 1989. However, this doesn’t seem to have been his first brush with the law. In 1990, he refused a breathalyzer test at a road block in Kentucky.
As a Memphis personal injury lawyer, I must confess some disappointment at Jolly’s conduct. As a member of Memphis’ finest, Jolly has no excuses for his behavior. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident he was involved in, but every year, thousands of people are killed nationwide in drunk driving accidents caused by people too irresponsible to understand that they are a danger to everybody else on the street.
Last year, 1,035 people were killed in traffic accidents in Tennessee. Out of these, 327 fatalities occurred in accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. We expect our police officers not just to crack down on intoxicated drivers and keep them off the streets, but also to set an example for the general motoring public. Memphis car accident lawyers, who frequently come across victims of drunk driving accidents, will have no sympathy for this disgraced officer.
Not only is Prentiss Jolly a drunk driver, apparently he is a big liar. Disgracefully, Mr. Jolly has cowardly denied causing the accident on November 3. He has refused to accept any responsibility whatsoever in this accident. He has lied to his insurance company. He is not the least bit remorseful about the accident. He along with his fellow officers who responded to this accident have made attempts to pass the blame for Mr. Jolly’s actions on to the 21 year old college kid – who had never been arrested – he sideswiped. Sad.