From WRIL -
On Saturday, July 31, 2021, a short time after 5:00 pm, Middlesboro Sgt. Kenny Vanover responded to a be-on-the-lookout for the operator of a red Pontiac that had been driving recklessly on northbound Highway 25E and then pulled into Big Lots parking lot.
While checking the lot, the sergeant saw a vehicle matching the description turn back onto north Highway 25E at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was also seen speeding by Officer Dakota Torstrick as it went through the intersection of Highway 441.
After witnessing the vehicle driving on the shoulder of the road, Sgt. Vanover initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, 21-year-old Christopher Hoskins of Somerset. Hoskins was exhibiting behavior consistent with being intoxicated along with having the odor of alcohol on his breath. Inside the vehicle was a Jack Daniels whiskey bottle and a open 16oz Budweiser beer. He was administered standard field sobriety tests which he failed and was taken into custody.
Hoskins was transported to Middlesboro Police headquarters for processing on his charges. While there, he made false statements in the presence of other officers, one of which had served in the US armed forces, that lead to a charge that falls under the 2013 Kentucky Stolen Valor Act.
Hoskins stated that he served in the United States Army and held the rank of sergeant. He also said he had been deployed and been shot four times by enemy combatants in 2016 while in a combat zone.
Officer Jeremiah Johnson then charged him with misrepresenting military status, which if convicted, Hoskins could be fined fined $5,000 or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than twelve (12) months, or both.
Christopher Hoskins was lodged in the Bell County Detention center charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence, possession of open alcohol beverage container in a motor vehicle, no insurance, failure to wear a seatbelt, excessive window tinting, speeding 10 mph over the limit, and misrepresenting military status.
No bond has been set as of this report.