PARKERSBURG - John Robert Coe, director of attendance and home services for Wood County Schools, was indicted Thursday on four charges stemming from a June incident.
Coe, 50, 43 Willowbrook Drive, Parkersburg, was among those indicted by a special session of the grand jury, said Wood County Prosecutor Jason Wharton.
Coe was indicted on charges of fleeing from an officer while under the influence of alcohol, third-offense driving under the influence, third-offense driving under the combined influence of alcohol and any controlled substance of other drug and third-offense driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.
Coe has two prior convictions for driving under the influence on Feb. 13, 2007 and April 29, 2005.
Wood County Schools Superintendent Bill Niday said he is waiting to review the indictment.
"I have talked with the prosecutor and he will send me a copy of the indictment," Niday said. "We (the Wood County Board of Education) will review it and then we will make a decision on what our next move will be."
Niday did not say when the board will make a decision regarding Coe.
According to police reports, on June 9 Coe was the operator of a 2004 Cadillac traveling north in the 2500 block of Murdoch Avenue when Parkersburg police Sgt. J.D. Hart observed a vehicle make an illegal right turn onto Lakeview Drive from the center lane in a no turn on red area.
Hart said he activated his lights and sirens to attempt to perform a traffic stop. Coe allegedly continued to drive, refusing to stop, disobeying the activated light and siren, and finally stopping at his residence.
Upon exiting the cruiser, the complaint states, Hart gave loud verbal commands for Coe to stop and place his hands behind his back because he had left his vehicle. Coe allegedly continued to ignore the request, causing Hart to use force necessary to place restraints on Coe, police said.
Upon contact, the complaint said, Coe was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and appeared to be disoriented. He failed the three standard field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a breath sample with the intoxilyzer but requested a blood sample, which was performed at St. Joseph's Hospital, police said.
After he was given his Miranda warning by Hart, Coe advised he had consumed alcohol and was taking several types of medication, police said.
Other indictments returned in the special session were:
- Marty Lewan Bass, 39, 702 Franklin Ave., Belpre, indicted on charges of third-offense driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and any controlled substance or other drug and driving while license revoked for driving under the influence of alcohol from October 2008.
- Dennis Joseph Burke, 51, 2509 22nd St., Parkersburg, was indicted on 10 counts of possession of material depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct from August 2008.
- Troy Allen Keller, 32, 608 Elder St., Parkersburg, was indicted on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a custodian from May 2009.
- Robbie Allen Omlor, 30, 10 Hillcrest Apartments, Parkersburg, was indicted on two counts of entry of a building other than a dwelling from April 2008.
- Michael David Sams, 37, 60 Meadowbrook Acres, Parkersburg, was indicted on charges of failure to provide notice of registration changes as a sexual offender and refusing to provide accurate information when required to do so as a sex offender from February 2008.
- Richard Wix, 62, 703 1/2 Main St., Belpre, was indicted on charges of first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree sexual assault from June 2009.
(Editor's note: Indictments are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.)
