Man with flat tire arrested on drug and alcohol charges, children with him

Police offered to help a man, who said he was coming from church, change a flat tire, but ended up arresting him on alcohol and drug charges, as well as child endangerment because two young children were with him, authorities said.

Ricky Tyrone Myers, 24, of Myrtle Beach is charged with driving under the influence, simple possession of marijuana, alcohol open container of beer or wine in a motor vehicle, and two counts of child endangerment, according to J. Reuben Long jail records.

While patrolling at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Coastal Carolina University police saw Myers pull into the parking lot of a Kangaroo gas station at 169 S.C. 544 with a flat tire, authorities said.

Police asked him if he needed help changing the tire, and Myers said he did not have a spare, but he got a tire jack from the back of his Jeep Cherokee and lifted it from the ground anyways, authorities said.

Officers noticed Myers’ speech was slurred and he had a very strong odor of alcohol. Myers told police he was coming from church when they asked him where he was traveling from, according to the report.

Myers told officers he got a flat tire by running into a ditch and later said the tire got stuck in a hole, police said.

Myers then failed several field sobriety tests, and police placed him under arrest in connection with driving under the influence, authorities said.

After searching Myers’ car, police found marijuana and an open container of Budweiser beer behind the driver’s seat, according to the report.

Authorities saw a 1-year-old and 2-year-old in the back of Myers’ Jeep. Their mother was also in the Jeep and was able to contact someone to take her and the children home, officials said.

A passenger of Myers’ named William Edward Jones had an outstanding criminal warrant out of Houston County, Ala., authorities said. Dispatchers sent police information saying Jones was wanted with extradition; however, the details of his warrant were not available in the report.

Jones, 55, of Conway was booked taken to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, along with Myers, police said.

Both Myers and Jones are not CCU students, Martha Hunn, a CCU spokeswoman, said.

Jones is currently jailed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center, and his charges were not listed on the center’s website.

Myers was released from J. Reuben Long Detention Center the same day as his arrest; however, his bail was not listed, jail records show.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Man with flat tire arrested on drug and alcohol charges, children with him."