Motorist Guilty of DUI for 4th Time

March 16, 2022 – A Frayser man has been convicted of driving while intoxicated for the fourth time, a felony under Tennessee law, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

A Criminal Court jury this week convicted defendant Joseph T. Ross Jr., 54. He is set for sentencing on April 20, and remains free on $15,000 bond.

At around 10 p.m. on March 22, 2019, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office spotted a green SUV traveling at a high rate of speed on Frayser Boulevard. They followed the vehicle to Ross’s residence in the 3700 block of Debby Drive where they arrested him in the vehicle.

Deputies said Ross appeared to be intoxicated and that they found a bottle of whisky on the front seat floorboard. They also reported that Ross was combative and that a chemical agent was used to help subdue him.

A blood draw showed his BAC to be .214, more than two times the threshold for proof of intoxication. Ross’s conviction this week follows previous DUI convictions in 2018, in 2016, and in 2013.

The case was handled by Asst. Dist. Atty. Vanessa Murtaugh of the District Attorney’s DUI Unit which prosecutes all DUI and vehicular homicide cases in the Criminal Courts.

Members of the DUI Unit also work with law enforcement to reduce DUI-related crashes, and conduct training sessions to keep law enforcement officers up to date on new laws and changes in current laws.