‘He performed alright on his field sobriety test’- LPD Officer Dillon Marney

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- Patrol vehicle radar alerted La Follette Police Officer Dillon Marney that the vehicle that just passed him going in the other direction was traveling at a high rate of speed.

Officer Marney was driving west on Jacksboro Pike near the Rainbow Restaurant at 12:30am Tuesday when he saw a 2012 black Dodge Challenger driving La Follette bound along the four lane near Campbell County High School. The patrolman’s patrol vehicle radar clocked the Dodge going 90 miles per hour, according to the LPD report.

A short distance up the four lane at Hunters Branch Road, Officer Marney conducted a traffic stop on the black muscle car. The officer learned that it was 21-year old Ruben Sanchez behind the wheel. Sanchez allegedly stated to Officer Marney that he did not have his driver’s license, based on the police report.

Officer Marney writes in his report that Sanchez had a strong odor of alcohol about him, and that Sanchez told the policeman he’d had one Beatbox. 08% alcoholic beverage about an hour before. After a field sobriety test, Officer Marney detailed that Sanchez “performed alright and was determined to be legally impaired”.

Sanchez stated he had alcohol in his car and consented to a search of the vehicle where assisting La Follette Police Officer Aydin Fudala allegedly found a half-full Beatbox with an empty Beatbox that was still cold to the touch. Elsewhere, Officer Fudala discovered a black backpack. Inside the backpack, the officer found three pills, suspected to be Gabapentin, an empty clear bag with suspected marijuana residue inside, a metal stick with suspected CBD residue on it, a torch lighter and in the console was a blue gummy, according to the report.

Sanchez, of 2417 Jacksboro Pike, La Follette, was charged with speeding, reckless driving, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of schedule V, simple possession of schedule VI, driving without a driver’s license in possession, failure to exercise due care and open container law.

A July 22 court date awaits Sanchez who is free on a $7,500 bond. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-07/17/2025-6AM)

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