Man Faces Thanksgiving DUI Charge

A 52-year-old man who may have as many as eight drunken driving arrests is accused of being at it again – this time on Thanksgiving Day in Easton.

Also this time, William Randolph Watts, who has addresses in Ohio and Phillipsburg, was involved in a hit-and-run crash and driving the wrong way on a one-way street, court records say.

He also was wanted on an arrest warrant for allegedly shoplifting in Warren County.

A preliminary breath test for alcohol came in at 0.19 percent – more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent. Watts was driving a green 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with New Jersey license plates.

The records say Watts had a strong odor of alcohol, glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, and failed all three field sobriety tests he took after being stopped.

A sheet in Watts’ court file lists two references next to the word “DUIs.” One is “officer says 8.” The other uses a geometric figure and then “says 2.”

But one of the charges against Watts – driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked – says his license was suspended for three or more DUI offenses.

Online court records for Northampton County list a 2002 guilty plea for a DUI in Easton. His address in this case is Phillipsburg.

In Thursday’s incident, a criminal complaint says city Patrolman Anthony Chaney was dispatched to a hit-and-run crash around 4pm at Prospect and N. Locust streets – about two blocks northeast of 7th and Northampton streets. He was told the vehicle was now eastbound on Bushkill Street.

Chaney spotted a green Jeep with heavy front-end damage eastbound on Bushkill. He stopped the vehicle at N. 2nd and Bushkill.

The complaint says Watts was driving the wrong way on N. Locust Street. It also says he apparently did not have up-to-date car insurance.

The complaint does not say if other vehicles were involved in the hit-and-run.

Police discovered the outstanding Warren County warrant for alleged shoplifting after stopping Watts. The complaint says he is awaiting extradition on that charge.

The complaint lists Watts’ address as Tiltonsville, Ohio, an Ohio River town north of Wheeling, W.Va. It also lists an address of Kneedler Avenue, Phillipsburg.

In addition to DUI and the suspended license and lack of insurance charges, Watts was charged with accidents involving damage to vehicle and driving on the right side of the roadway.

He was arraigned Thursday night by on-duty District Judge Daniel Corpora of Easton and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.