Driver charged with DUI after crashing into Rock Hill gas station

A Charlotte driver was charged with DUI after he crashed into a Cherry Road gas station on St. Patrick’s Day.

Rock Hill police arrived at the gas station around 6:13 p.m. to find a 2005 Volvo had slammed into a protective metal post in front of a gas pump. The car had “severe front end damage,” the airbag was deployed and was leaking fluids in the parking lot, according to a police report. An opened bottle of brandy was reportedly found under the driver’s seat.

First responders who arrived on scene told police the driver, John Frank Watkins, 52, was disorderly and attempted to leave the scene before responders managed to get him into an ambulance. A witness told police he followed the Volvo from Interstate 77 after noticing the car was driving erratically, then watched as the car crashed at the gas station.

Watkins was transported to Piedmont Medical Center and the car, which reportedly belonged to his girlfriend, was towed from the scene.

Watkins was found to be driving under a suspended license, and refused to submit to breath, blood or urine tests at the hospital. He was charged with DUI, driving under suspension, and having an open container of alcohol in a car.

This story was originally published March 18, 2015 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Driver charged with DUI after crashing into Rock Hill gas station."