Rocky Mount police officer dragged by car during DWI chase

A suspicious vehicle call on Sunday led to a chase and DWI arrest in Rocky Mount.

According to Rocky Mount police, officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call around 3:07 a.m. on the 3100 block of West Gypsy Trail.

As officers arrived, they found a vehicle stopped at a stop sign facing a house with its headlights on.

Officers found the driver, 38-year-old Bernard Ruth of Virginia, under the influence of alcohol. While talking with the officers, police said Ruth put the car in drive and took off while the two officers were partially inside the car.

According to police, the car dragged one officer and knocked another officer off balance when Ruth drove off.

The officer dragged by the car injured his shoulder, while the second officer received minor scrapes and cuts.

The officers caught up with Ruth after they said he crashed into a house on the 1200 block of West Raleigh Boulevard.

Ruth was taken into custody.

An investigation revealed Ruth was a convicted felon out of Virginia and while officers were searching his car, they located two firearms in the car.

Ruth was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony flee and elude arrest and several other traffic violations.

Ruth was taken to the Nash County Jail, where he being held under a $80,000 bond.