A seemingly routine traffic stop Saturday afternoon turned into a pair of arrests and left a Whitehall Police officer with a hand injury.
According to police reports, William Smith, 46, was pulled over on Broadway after another driver reported seeing him drive erractically and cross the center line numerous times.
He was arrested and charged with failure to keep right, unlicensed operation, drinking in a motor vehicle, aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree and felony driving while intoxicated. Police said he refused to take a breathalyzer test.
After Smith was taken to the police station, several family members came and got involved in an altercation with police.
Michael Smith, 39, of Dresden, who is William Smith’s brother, was charged followed a fight that injured Officer Christopher Kyne. Michael Smith was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, causing injury to a police officer, resisting arrest and third-degree criminal trespass.
A number of other police agencies — State Police, Washington County Sheriff’s officers, state Environmental Conservation Police and Canadian Pacific Rail Police – were also involved in the case.