A Clarkson felon previously arrested with nearly 10 grams of methamphetamine and who threatened to assault a Clarkson officer has been jailed after Leitchfield police located methamphetamine during a traffic stop.
Monday night at approximately 11:45, Leitchfield Police Officer Taylor Wright conducted a traffic stop on a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban that was swerving as it traveled east on Elizabethtown Road between Leitchfield and Clarkson, the arrest citation states.
The driver, 56-year-old Dwayne M. Westmoreland, was unable to provide a driver’s license, and following his consent to search the vehicle, Wright and Leitchfield PD Sgt. DJ Newton found a baggie of methamphetamine in the passenger floorboard.
Westmoreland was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), careless driving and license to be in possession. He was lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center.
Sept. 2021 drug arrest
On the afternoon of September 22, 2021, Clarkson Police Chief Buck Meredith and Officer Blake Elmore along with Probation and Parole staff arrived at a residence on Carrier Street and made contact with Westmoreland.
Westmoreland had been out of prison since May 2021 after serving just over a year, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, and is on probation until May 2026.
As law enforcement searched the home and the suspect, police located nearly 10 grams of methamphetamine.
As Meredith attempted to place Westmoreland under arrest, he became combative and began to resist, resulting in Meredith tasing the suspect, bringing him under control.
Westmoreland was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), third-degree assault of a police/probation officer, resisting arrest, and menacing.
Feb. 2020 arrest after allegedly trying to run over his wife, threatening officer
Upon arriving at the scene, Elmore made contact with the Westmoreland, with the officer detecting alcohol on his breath. As Elmore questioned Westmoreland, the suspect became “agitated,” according to the arrest citation. Westmoreland continued to “get louder and was cussing,” as Elmore asked the suspect to calm down.
The suspect continued to “yell and cuss,” resulting in Elmore attempting to detain Westmoreland for disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication in a public place.
Elmore asked the suspect to place his hands behind his back, with Westmoreland replying, “I’m not doing sh-t,” the citation states. The suspect continued to yell and curse and refused three times to place his hands behind his back.
Emore then grabbed his taser and told Westmoreland that if he didn’t quit resisting he would be tased. The suspect responded by “lunging” at Elmore, the citation says, with the officer discharging the taser and striking Westmoreland, who then began to comply and complain of chest pains.
EMS arrived on scene, with Westmoreland refusing treatment and transport. Instead, the suspect was taken by Elmore to Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center for medical clearance.
Several officers and deputies arrived on scene, with then-Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Fred Norder and then-Leitchfield Officer Kelsey Overton obtaining statements from witnesses of the original incident between Westmoreland and his wife.
According to the citation, the suspect’s wife told police she was walking down the road as Westmoreland yelled at her that he would “drag her by the hair on her head back to the house.” He then began following his wife in a van.
The victim walked behind a trailer and through yards trying to get away from Westmoreland, but he continued to follow her in the van, with the victim telling police that she was afraid he was going to run over her, according to the citation.
When questioned by police about the incident in the ER, Westmoreland again became agitated, cussing and yelling inside the emergency room. Elmore, who was assisted at the hospital by then-Clarkson Officer Rick Clemons and Leitchfield Officer Eugene Cain, asked him to calm down.
The suspect responded by threatening Elmore, saying, “You’re just a little boy, if I get you out on the street, I’ll beat your ass.”
Westmoreland was charged in that case with first-degree wanton endangerment, DUI, resisting arrest, menacing, terroristic threatening, and disorderly conduct.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
