Crash Survivor Had Spotty Driving Record

ABINGDON, Va. – Entering Interstate 81’s southbound lanes heading north was one in a long line of bad driving decisions by the man involved in a predawn wreck Wednesday that claimed the life of a firefighter.

When or how Michael Eugene Garner Jr., 39, turned his vehicle onto the interstate is unclear, but authorities continue to investigate the case and no charges have been filed.

“We are looking at alcohol as a possible contributing factor,” based on the “circumstances surrounding the accident,” said Sgt. Michael Conroy, a Virginia State Police spokesman.

Police are working closely with the Washington County Commonwealth Attorney’s office, Conroy said. Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Godfrey did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Wednesday’s predawn crash killed firefighter and paramedic Johnny Earl Morphew, 48. Garner was listed in fair condition Thursday at the Bristol Regional Medical Center.

Morphew’s funeral service is at 8 p.m. today at the Chilhowie United Methodist Church, with visitation from 5 to 8 p.m. Graveside services are 11 a.m. Saturday at the Macedonia Baptist Church Cemetery, with mourners meeting at 9 a.m. at the Chilhowie Fire Department.

Wednesday’s fatal collision took place at the level of Exit 14 on I-81, meaning Garner would have had to enter the interstate by or before the exit ramp at Exit 13, authorities confirmed. Two signs stating “No Entry” and “Wrong Way” stand at the mouth of the Exit 13 ramp.

Washington County dispatchers received no report of a vehicle heading the wrong way on I-81 before the collision.

Garner’s driving history includes two convictions for driving under the influence, as well as convictions for improper driving and related violations dating to 1994,
court records show.

Garner, a native of Baltimore, Md., who lived in Coeburn and most recently listed a Bristol address, was charged in April with driving on a suspended license, attempting to elude police and reckless driving.

On April 21, a Washington County sheriff’s deputy clocked a truck driven by Garner at a speed in excess of 80 miles per hour on Lee Highway. Garner proceeded to run a red light at the intersection of Industrial Park Road, nearly hitting a black pickup. Deputy Matthew Lucas Shelley chased Garner for three miles after activating his siren, and found that the suspect’s license had been suspended.

“Mr. Garner tried to kick the window and head butt the window out of my car several times upon arrest,” Shelley wrote in the criminal complaint.

Washington County court records show Garner was convicted in June, and appealed his convictions to the circuit court. He filed an indigency claim, listing no assets and $183 weekly income, and received a court-appointed attorney. The attorney conducted discovery and a hearing was set for November, but Garner withdrew his appeals.

Garner first showed up on the criminal docket in Wise County in January 1994, when he was charged with felonious assault with a motor vehicle on a police officer. Officer Dennis Scalf had stopped Garner’s 1979 Chevy truck for a possible DUI, the criminal complaint shows.

As Scalf exited his patrol car, Garner “placed the vehicle in reverse and accelerated, ramming the police vehicle, causing minor injuries to Officer Scalf.”

The charge was later amended to malicious wounding and ultimately dropped; Garner was convicted of improper driving and fined $100.

Four months after the 1994 scrape with Scalf, Garner racked up another charge, losing his license for 90 days.

Two years later, an officer noticed Garner was driving a vehicle with a “leaking exhaust system.” When the officer stopped him, he smelled alcohol, and Garner failed four field sobriety tests. A blood test showed his blood alcohol level was 0.11 – above the legal limit.

Court records show Garner was fined $1,000, had his license suspended for a year and served no jail time.

Just over five years later, in 2001, Garner was back in court for a second driving under the influence charge. This time, he received a 30-day suspended sentence, a $400 fine and his license was again suspended for a year. Current Virginia law mandates that anyone convicted of a second DUI within 10 years receives a minimum $500 fine and one month in jail. The reasons for the discrepancy between the law and Garner’s sentence were not immediately clear.

In June, Garner was charged for failing to comply with the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, in conjunction with his 2001 driving under the influence charge.
When he crashed into Morphew’s vehicle Wednesday, Garner was driving without a license, authorities have confirmed.

dgilbert@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2558