Probation granted in meth-related DWI case

A Jefferson City man was placed on five years supervised probation for pleading guilty to operating a vehicle while under the influence of methamphetamine in November.

Cole County prosecutors charged Ryan Paul Roark, 40, with driving while intoxicated after he was involved in an accident on West Dunklin Street at Broadway.

They also charged him with possession of a controlled substance - meth. A charge of careless and imprudent driving was dismissed.

A Jefferson City police statement filed with the charges said Roark was eastbound on Dunklin when he crossed the center of the street and hit another vehicle.

When officers arrived, Roark "was fidgety and twitching, and his eyes were bloodshot and appeared to be dilated, with a slow reaction to light."

The police statement said Roark appeared to be impaired following five field sobriety tests.

After he was arrested, police found what appeared to be meth in his clothing and said he "admitted to taking some earlier."

Prosecutors noted Roark had at least three previous driving while intoxicated convictions in the Lake Ozark and Eldon municipal courts and in the Miller County circuit court.