BEDFORD – A Shoals man was arrested early Sunday morning on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI) with a prior conviction after police observed him driving erratically on State Road 37—the driver, identified as 25-year-old Matthew Newkirk.

According to an affidavit of probable cause from the Bedford Police Department, Officer Taylor Daugherty was on patrol just after midnight on September 21, when she observed a blue Ford Focus repeatedly crossing the center and fog lines. The officer initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of State Road 37 and 16th Street.

Upon making contact with Newkirk, Officer Daugherty noticed a strong odor of alcohol. Newkirk initially denied drinking, claiming a friend had spilled beer on him. He agreed to perform a series of Standardized F

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