Man Faces Felony Drug, Weapon Charges After Being Found Unconscious in Vehicle on 2nd Avenue North

Willie Parham III, 26, faces felony drug possession, DUI, and felon in possession of a handgun charges after the vehicle he was driving this morning struck the now closed Hill Detention Center at 506 2nd Avenue North.

A witness flagged down an officer in the area at 7 a.m. to report the crash. Officer Nicholas Smith found the driver unconscious behind the wheel of a black Lincoln MKZ. The car, which had impacted the building at a low speed, was locked and still running. Officer Smith observed a pistol lying on the front passenger seat and a bottle of vodka. He called for assistance.

After Special Response Team officers arrived, they made loud and repeated announcements for Parham to get out of the car. He remained unresponsive. At that time, forced entry was made and Parham was taken into custody without further incident.

Parham admitted to taking Xanax and marijuana. He showed signs of impairment while performing field sobriety tasks. He refused to provide a blood sample. A search warrant was obtained for a mandatory blood sample from Parham for analysis. Recovered from the car were the pistol and a one gallon bag containing 406.6 grams of marijuana.

Parham, who was also booked on outstanding warrants charging him with a probation violation and criminal impersonation, is being held in lieu of $34,500 bond.