PULASKI, Va. – A Christiansburg man is accused of drunkenly hitting a police officer and running away in an effort to escape drug charges.
An officer responded to a disturbance call along Altoona Road in Pulaski on Monday around 4:45 a.m. When he arrived, he saw a vehicle in the driveway with a woman in the driver's seat, and a man standing outside of the passenger door, apparently trying to get in. The officer told the woman to turn the engine off before he approached the man.
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While the officer was questioning the man, police say the man dropped a small package that appeared to be drugs.
The officer tried to arrest the man, but the man hit the officer and then ran off, according to police. Police later caught up with him and arrested him.
28-year-old Dandre D. Samuels was initially charged with public intoxication, with additional charges being considered.
About an hour and a half after he was released from jail, Samuels was charged with obstruction of justice, assaulting a police officer, and the possession of Oxycodone.
Several hours after that, officers found Samuels traveling in a vehicle with a woman and a 9-year-old. Police then arrested Samuels on the outstanding warrants. He was also given gun charges as a result of a separate drug investigation.
The driver of the car, 31-year-old Christiansburg resident Mandy K. Overstreet, is charged with possession with the intent to distribute a schedule I or II drug. She is also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was released on her own recognizance after being arrested.
The investigation remains open and there may be additional charges to come.