Three Perry County teens arrested in Floyd County alcohol stop

A speeding stop on KY-114 in Floyd County turned into a major alcohol case with Perry County ties after Prestonsburg police arrested three Perry County teens and said a 19-year-old driver hit 101 mph in a 45 mph zone near Middle Creek National Battlefield.

According to the citation, an officer was parked near the battlefield on March 14 when a 2016 Ford F-150 was seen traveling at a high rate of speed and unable to stay within its lane. Later reporting said the truck was clocked at 101 mph near the Mountain Arts Center. Police identified the driver as James Sullivan, 19, of Perry County, and said the vehicle also carried 18-year-old Matthew Richie, a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl.

A search of the truck turned up a fake ID, and Richie allegedly admitted that he and Sullivan bought the false identification and used it to buy alcohol. Police said Sullivan also allegedly had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. The charges against him included DUI, three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, third-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, and alcohol-related charges tied to being 18 to 20 years old and using or trying to use false identification to get alcohol.

Kentucky law, including KRS 244.085, bars anyone under 21 from using or attempting to use a false, fraudulent or altered ID to obtain alcohol. The stop happened on a stretch of highway that runs through Prestonsburg and past Middle Creek National Battlefield, a site Kentucky Tourism describes as the largest and most significant Civil War battle in Eastern Kentucky.

For families in Hazard, Vicco, Buckhorn and Chavies, the case is a reminder that a late-night drive across county lines can become a criminal matter in minutes when speed, alcohol and fake identification collide. The arrest now leaves Sullivan facing a stack of charges that grew out of one fast-moving stop on a road where officers were already watching for trouble.