DUI Property Damage in Walton County

A Walton County resident forcibly stops a wiregrass driver after he causes property damage in their neighborhood.  At around nine o’clock Saturday night, Anthony Gumpenberger of Ozark, Alabama was driving recklessly in his Jeep Cherokee in the area of Highway 3280 and Black Creek Boulevard in Freeport.  At one point, Gumpenberger was passing another vehicle on Highway 3280 when he struck a mail box.

    The homeowner’s stepson, David Shane Currie, observed the mail box being struck.  Currie then got into his truck and began to pursue the suspect’s jeep to attempt to get his tag number.  The chase then went through the front and back yards of several homes along Black Creek Boulevard and Whip Poor Will Lane in order to block in the jeep.

    One homeowner noticed her lawn was torn up and found a chain link fence post and tree limbs in her yard.  A neighbor says she saw the vehicles spinning through her yard.  A Walton County Sheriff’s deputy went to other residences to obtain statements on other property damage that might have occurred.

    At one point, Gumpenberger ran off the road at the intersection of County Road 3280 and Highway 331.  Currie ran his pick-up truck into the driver’s side passenger door, pinning the vehicle near the tree-line.  A witness says Currie then tried to restrain the suspect until authorities arrived.

When deputies arrived, he asked to be placed in the back of the patrol car because Currie was still on the scene.  The 25-year-old Ozark man was placed under arrest with leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, and he was later charged with driving under the influence.

     Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the chase.