A drunk driver who tried to run down a woman in a church yard earlier this month will serve 105 days in jail.
The driver, Clinton Wayne Cope, 25, entered guilty pleas before General Sessions Judge Bill Locke to charges of reckless endangerment, attempted assault, second-offense DUI, vandalism and leaving the scene of an accident.
His jail time comes for an incident that happened outside Oak Grove Church of Christ where the female victim was collecting donations for upkeep of the church cemetery.
“Mr. Cope had stopped his truck under the carport (of the church) and was standing outside the vehicle,” said deputy Kelly Carter who took the report. “She went toward the truck to see if he needed any help and he jumped into the vehicle, put it in reverse and attempted to run over her.”
The woman jumped a small barrier to avoid being hit. Cope then reportedly put his truck in drive and plowed into an outbuilding in the church yard. Meanwhile, the woman made a dash for the church and told her brother-in-law what was happening. Cope again tried to run over the woman, prompting her to again jump out of the way of the truck.
When deputies arrived a few minutes later, Cope had left the scene but was found nearby.
“He was found in his truck in a wooded area about 800 yards from the scene,” Carter revealed, noting Cope was worse for wear. “Mr. Cope was bleeding from the head and had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and was extremely confused as to what day it was.”
Cope remained silent at his plea announcement and did not reveal what possessed him to try to hit the woman with his truck.