Chilhowie officer in accident, charged with DUI
CHILHOWIE, Va. – A off-duty Chilhowie police sergeant was charged Friday night with driving under the influence, after police say he smashed head-on into a truck while driving in the wrong lane across a bridge.
The same officer, Sgt. David Conley Cullop, was honored two years ago for saving the life of a state trooper who was nearly killed by a drunk driver.
No one was injured in the crash Friday night. Cullop, 34, declined to take a breath test so he was also charged with refusal of tests, according to a spokesman for the Virginia State Police. The Chilhowie Police Department responded to the accident, on state Route 107 just north of Interstate 81, around 6:30 p.m.
The local department called in the State Police when it was discovered that one of its own was involved.
According to State Police Sgt. Michael Conroy, Cullop’s 2007 Dodge Caliber crossed the center line and hit a 2004 Ford Ranger as the vehicles met on a narrow bridge. Both were traveling along the curvy road at around 25 mph, he said.
Conroy said he was not sure if a field sobriety test was performed at the scene, and a Smyth County General District Court clerk said Monday the criminal complaint was not yet available.
In February 2008, Cullop was hailed a hero when he saved the life of a state trooper hit by a drunk driver. According to news reports at the time of the crash, Cullop was the first to reach the scene when a drunk driver plowed into the officer’s cruiser, which was parked on the shoulder of Interstate 81 during a traffic stop.
Cullop, a former Smyth County Sheriff’s deputy, found the trooper unresponsive and wedged in the wreckage. He got him out and got him breathing until emergency medical services arrived.
In a teary public ceremony several months later, the young trooper’s family credited Cullop for his recovery. He was presented with a letter of commendation from the chief and the Police Department’s Life Saving Medal.
Cullop was taken Friday night to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon. Jail officials did not return a Monday afternoon call requesting information about his bond and release.
The State Police estimated $8,000 in damage to Cullop’s car and another $5,000 to the pickup truck.
No one was available at the Chilhowie Police Department Monday afternoon for comment on the crash or Cullop’s job status.
cgalofaro@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531
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