Impaired Driver Convicted after Driving off the Interstate

Prosecutors in Charme Allen’s DUI Unit obtained a conviction today against an impaired driver who drove off the interstate. Scott William Wesselman, 32, was convicted of Driving Under the Influence First Offense. Judge Bob McGee set the case for sentencing on March 21.

At trial, Assistant District Attorneys Greg Eshbaugh and Heather Good presented testimony that on December 26, 2015, around 1:45 A.M., Sgt. Joseph Appleba with the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped to help Wesselman who had driven his vehicle off the roadway on the ramp where I-275 South merges onto I-40 West. After speaking to Wesselman, Sgt. Appleba and Trooper William Satterfield noticed that Wesselman smelled like alcohol. Wesselman admitted drinking earlier in the evening and failed field sobriety tests.

Driving Under the Influence is a Class A Misdemeanor that carries a maximum punishment up to eleven months and twenty-nine days in jail. The mandatory minimum for a DUI First Offense is forty-eight hours in custody with a $350 fine, DUI School, and a license revocation of one year.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.