An off-duty deputy spotted an impaired driver on Friday afternoon on the Asheville Highway.
The off-duty deputy reported that a silver Nissan SUV was traveling all over the road on Asheville Highway. The vehicle pulled into the Creekside Market.
An on-duty deputy arrived on the scene and found Earl Gilliam of Old Asheville Highway outside his vehicle. He reportedly appeared unsteady on his feet. Gilliam said he had been drinking while helping a friend put up Christmas lights. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests. When asked on a scale from 1 to 10 how impaired he was, Gilliam replied 50. He then said he meant 5, but said he should not have been driving.
Gilliam was taken into custody for DUI 1st offense.
