Woods County Dispatch put out a Christmas Eve radio call for all units about a report of a man trying to kill his family in a car. The car was described as a silver blue Nissan Altima and was reported to be traveling north on U.S. Highway 281 South. The last location known was outside the city limits of Alva and the vehicle was described as traveling at 115 mph and above. Dispatch said the vehicle was going to an address on Ridgeway and could possibly use Harper Road.

According to court documents, Alva Police Officer William Shahan drove south on US 281. As he passed Harper Road, he saw a vehicle that matched the description going north and slowing to turn on Harper. He turned to get behind the car and ran the license number to confirm it was the correct vehicle before activating his emergency lights.

After the vehicle stopped on Harper Road near Skyline, Shahan remained by his vehicle and called out to the driver to place his hands out the window. He told the driver to slowly open the door and step out with his hands raised facing away from him. He then had the driver walk backward to him where he patted him down for weapons and detained him by placing him in handcuffs. The driver was identified as Charles Howard Shipp Jr.

Shahan explained to Shipp why he had been stopped, and Shipp started laughing. He said nothing was going on, and he was only going to his wife’s family for Christmas. Shahan could smell an odor of an intoxicating beverage from Shipp’s breath and person and could also smell the odor of burnt marijuana from his clothes. He placed Shipp in his patrol car and went to check on the passengers.

As Shahan looked into the vehicle, he saw an open beer can in the cup holder. He asked the female passenger, Nicki Jo Andrews, what was going on and she said she had no idea. Shahan asked if Shipp was trying to hurt anyone, and she became visibly frustrated saying “that would be my mother who called and said that.”

Shahan asked Andrews to step out of the car. He noticed she was unsteady on her feet and had a hard time standing. As he spoke with her, he could smell an odor commonly associated with an intoxicating beverage emitting from her breath and person.

Officer Shahan asked Andrews to have her juvenile daughter step out of the vehicle and asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle. He told her that based on the smell of marijuana from Shipp and the open beer, he was going to search the vehicle. Andrews said she had an open bottle of vodka between the door and the seat. She said there better not be any marijuana in the car because Shipp knew better than to have that around her daughter.

While Deputy Adam Honeyman and Trooper Randy McCullough searched the vehicle, Shahan spoke with Shipp. At his question, Shipp said he had a beer and about three shots of vodka to drink. He was placed under arrest.

Deputy Honeyman asked Shahan to look in a container found in the trunk of the car. Shahan saw it contained a grinder, two pipes and a small amount of a green leafy substance that later field tested positive for marijuana. He asked Andrews about the tin, and she said it was Shipp’s.

Shahan placed Andrews under arrest and the juvenile was released to the custody of her aunt. The vehicle was impounded.

On Jan. 4 in Woods County District Court, Charles Howard Shipp, Jr., 46, of Mustang was charged with a felony of child endangerment by driving under the influence. The crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to four years and/or a fine of $5,000. Shipp was also charged with three misdemeanor counts: (1) driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, aggravated; (2) possession of a controlled dangerous substance (marijuana) and (3) unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nicki Jo Andrews, 41, of Mustang was charged with a felony of child endangerment by permitting presence in vehicle when driver is impaired or under the influence. The crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to four years and/or a fine of $5,000. She was also charged with a misdemeanor of public intoxication.