A Blue Bell man has been charged with DUI and drug possession after he allegedly overdosed while driving and crashed into the front of a convenience store late last month.
According to the criminal complaint, Lansdale Borough Police were dispatched to the 709 Market located along the unit block of North Wales Road at 6:03 p.m. on July 28 for a report of a vehicle accident. Upon arrival, police encountered a male—later identified as 32-year-old Jeffrey Tourdot—lying in the middle of the parking lot, unresponsive and bleeding from the head. The report notes that despite being unresponsive, Tourdot was still breathing.
Police spoke with a witness at the scene, who stated that they were driving by when they saw Tourdot passed out in his truck in the exit of Advanced Auto Parts, across the street from the market. The witness stated that they turned around and attempted to wake Tourdot by knocking on his window, but he was unresponsive, the report states. The witness then opened the driver’s-side door, which caused Tourdot to sit up and step on the accelerator, according to the report.
Tourdot’s truck accelerated across North Wales Road, struck a curb and then a street sign, police said. The vehicle then continued through the parking lot of the 709 Market, at which point Tourdot fell out of the moving vehicle and struck his head on the ground. The truck then struck the front-side entrance of the market, according to the report.
Police said that emergency medical personnel at the scene administered two doses of Narcan to Tourdot, and he was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries. A search of Tourdot’s truck allegedly uncovered needles and suspected heroin, and the results of his blood test indicated that Tourdot was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the crash, the report states.
As a result of the incident, Tourdot has been charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI: controlled substance – schedule 2 or 3, DUI: controlled substance – impaired ability, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as summary counts of driving on a suspended license, driving without insurance and careless driving.
Due to the level of charges, he was not given a preliminary arraignment, bail was not set and a booking image was not taken. Tourdot has a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine scheduled for Oct. 9 at 11 a.m.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records, the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
Driver Believed To Be Under The Influence Of Drugs At Time Of Sunday’s Crash: Police
Driver Injured After Striking Building In Lansdale (UPDATED)
State Police Made 20,143 DUI Arrests In 2018
Mom Strikes Vehicle, Gets DUI While Attempting To Pick Up Child From School: Police
Man Charged With Homicide By Vehicle While DUI In Hit-And-Run Crash On County Line Road
