The deputy had been called to investigate a mobile arrow board that had been struck by a car at 3:50 a.m. Friday, July 8. The striking driver fled the scene after colliding with the piece of equipment commonly used to warn them to move over to the next lane due to road work.
After inspecting the equipment parked outside an Arby’s restaurant, the driver of a black SUV slammed into the device, nearly missing the deputy who had walked back to his car 15 seconds earlier.
The driver stayed on the scene and had told the officer he had been drinking, a sheriff’s spokesman said. The driver blew a .011 on a breathalyzer test, above the .008 legal limit.
A sheriff’s spokesman said that Jose Diaz Cardoza, 43, is charged with driving under the influence, destruction of property, and failure to maintain proper control of a vehicle. He was taken to Rappahannock Regional Jail and held on a $7,500 secure bond.
