A Rockmart man who was found in the Waffle House parking lot drunk in his vehicle was reported to have resisted and cussed at officers during his arrest on Tuesday night, according to police reports.
Eugene Albert Perkins, 55, of Rockmart, remained in jail as of this posting with bond set at $4,940 on misdemeanor charges of resisting police officer, disorderly conduct, an open container violation and driving under the influence of alcohol – concentration is .08G or more within 3 hours.
According to Rockmart Police, Perkins was reported around 10 p.m. to be sitting in the Waffle House parking lot following a call from a family member, and they told police not only did he try to drunkenly knock a victim off the road during a Paulding County incident on Vinson Mountain Road, and had previously wrecked his truck while drunk.
Police investigated a late model Chevrolet Silverado sitting in the Waffle House parking lot, and found Perkins inside in the driver’s seat. He opened the door when police approached but didn’t get out of the truck at first.
Officers asked him if he’d been drinking, and he reported he had “a little bit.” Police reported he was slurring his words, his eyes were bloodshot, and when he did finally get out of the truck after being ordered to several times stumbled along the side of the pickup to keep himself upright.
The report also stated that Perkins put in a set of false teeth where the pair both sat on his lower jaw, and couldn’t find the truck’s ignition key, which was later located by a family member in the floorboard of the driver’s seat.
Police had Perkins sit on the curb, and more officers arrived on the scene to help since Perkins had already acted in a hostile manner and cussed at the reporting officer several times before backup from Polk County and Rockmart Police arrived. When being taken into custody, Perkins several times cussed at the officers and refused to get in the back seat of the patrol vehicle.
The reporting officer stated that he pulled out his taser and threatened to use it on Perkins if he didn’t comply, and got as far as “driving it into his collarbone” before Perkins finally fell into the backseat. He reported the taser was not activated.
Police searched his vehicle after he was taken into custody and found a pair of small vodka bottles in the center console of the pickup.
Once at the Polk County Jail, Perkins failed several times to provide a breath sample to “ensure he didn’t require medical treatment” before being booked. That test showed he had a blood alcohol content of .288. The legal limit is .08. Blood was also drawn and taken into evidence as well.
