Are county law enforcement cars really that well-maintained? Ask Cherokee County.
According to a story in the Tahlequah Daily Press, a Cherokee County sheriff's deputy got caught along with an alleged speeder " by his own car.
The story, based on an incident report filed by Tahlequah police, states a department shift supervisor had to respond to the incident, which occurred on a Friday evening recently near Ballentine and Park Hill roads.
Cherokee County Deputy Rick Duggin pulled over a woman for speeding, according to the story, driving up behind her with his lights flashing after she stopped at a business.
Upon addressing the woman, the story reports, Duggin then asked her to step outside the vehicle to sign some papers. As they stood behind her car " and in front of his " Duggin's cruiser suddenly rolled forward and pinned both of them between the two vehicles.
According to the story, the woman told police she didn't hear any loud engine noises from Duggin's patrol unit, and things seemed normal before they were pinned. She told police she used "all of (her) strength" to push the deputy out of the way.
A passenger in the woman's car leaped out and tried to separate the vehicles and free Duggin and the woman, the story reported. Duggin got himself loose, got into his patrol car, put it in neutral and separated the vehicles, the story said.
The woman was transported by ambulance to Hastings Indian Medical Center and treated for an injury to her right knee.
The cruiser was towed to the local Ford dealership to determine the problem.
