In a complaint filed in the Magistrate Court of Richard Postalwait by Sr. Trooper J.D. Richards, the complaint read that on Friday August 1st, 2025, at approximately 11:11 p.m. Calhoun County Dispatch was contacted regarding a white in color jeep with a flag on the back traveling at a high rate of speed in Grantsville. The caller advised Calhoun County Dispatch that the same Jeep went up High Street near the Hospital in Grantsville, spun it’s tires, revved it’s engine and continued at a high rate of speed down High Street until cutting down an alley and turning Westbound on West Little Kanawha Highway.
On the same date, Trooper Richards was traveling East bound on West Little Kanawha Highway in the 2,000 Block when he observed a white in color Jeep Liberty with a flag on the back, matching the description of the call parked on the side of the road, facing Westbound. Trooper Richards turned around on the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. While turning on his emergency lights, the Trooper observed two shirtless males outside the vehicle on the passenger side urinating. One male got in the passenger side of the vehicle and the other male hopped in the driver’s seat of the still-running vehicle.
On the same date, Trooper Richards stepped out and made contact with the male in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. Upon
contact, the Trooper could smell the odor of Alcohol emitting from the driver as he spoke, along with slurred speech,
fumbling with documents, lack of coordination, and blood-shot eyes. The person identified in physical control of the vehicle sitting in the driver’s seat was Joseph Bryan Sturms. Trooper Richards had Mr. Sturms step out of the vehicle to
conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests finding that Mr. Sturms was impaired. Sturms was taken into Custody for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and
transported him back to the WVSP Grantsville Detachment to complete a Secondary Chemical Test of Breath. At 0040 hours, the Trooper started the secondary Chemical Test of Breath and at 0045 hours, Mr. Sturms blew into the Intoximeter which read .07 BrAC. He then transported Mr. Sturms to Central Regional Jail in Flatwoods, WV to await arraignment by a Calhoun County Magistrate. Mr. Sturms made bond which was a $1,000 personal recognizance bond. His hearing is set in Calhoun magistrate Court for August 25th, 2025.
§17C-5-2. Driving under influence of alcohol
(e) Any person who drives a vehicle on any public highway or private road in this state: (1) While he or she is in an
impaired state; or (2) while he or she is in an impaired state but has an alcohol concentration in his or her blood of
less than fifteen hundredths of one percent, by weight, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereaf, may
be confined in jail for up to six months and shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500, and shall have his
or her license to operate a motor vehicle revoked by the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles for a period
of six months or for a period of time conditioned on participation in the test and lock program in accordance with
§17C-5A-3a of this code: Provided, That a person sentenced pursuant to this subsection shall receive credit for any
period of actual confinement he or she served upon arrest for the subject offense.
