A 53-year-old Nashville man is facing a third-offense DUI charge and two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer after investigators say he swerved into two parked, marked patrol SUVs on Neelys Bend Road late Tuesday night, then abandoned his wrecked pickup and fled on foot before a police dog tracked him into the woods. James Rose was booked into the Davidson County jail with bond set at $48,000.
The crash happened around 10 p.m., according to WSMV, when Officers Michael Allen and Jordan Shaffer were parked on Neelys Bend Road near Randy Road investigating a report of a person in the roadway. Both officers had their emergency blue lights activated on their marked patrol SUVs at the time, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department, which said Rose was driving a Dodge Ram pickup eastbound when he swerved toward the unoccupied SUVs and struck them, nearly hitting Officer Allen in the process.
No officers were injured in the wreck, WSMV reported. Rose drove away after the collision but didn't get far — investigators found his pickup wrecked and abandoned at Neelys Bend Road near Evergreen Trail, and he had already fled on foot into a nearby tree line.
K9 Talon Tracks Suspect Into the Woods
That's where K9 Officer Tommy Smith and his partner, K9 Talon, came in. The Belgian Malinois tracked Rose through the wooded area until he was caught, according to the police department's account of the arrest. Talon made department history as one of MNPD's first female patrol dogs, alongside K9 Cinder, per the Metro Nashville Police Department's Canine Unit.
Once caught, Rose admitted to investigators that he had consumed alcohol and was visibly intoxicated when officers encountered him, according to police. He now faces third-offense DUI, evading arrest, driving on a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident, and two counts of aggravated assault against a police officer.
What a Third DUI Conviction Could Mean
The stakes for Rose are steep given the third-offense allegation. Under Tennessee Code § 55-10-402, a third-offense DUI conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 120 consecutive days in jail — with a maximum of 11 months and 29 days — fines between $1,100 and $10,000, and a mandatory six-year driver's license revocation with no option for a restricted permit, according to Legal Powers PLLC. Tennessee calculates prior DUI offenses using a 10-year lookback measured from offense date to offense date, counting qualifying convictions from Tennessee or other states, and DUI convictions can never be expunged from a driver's record under state law, per Harvey Criminal Defense Lawyers.
The two aggravated assault counts against a police officer add further exposure. Under Tennessee Code § 39-13-102, aggravated assault is generally classified as a Class C felony punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines, or a Class D felony carrying 2 to 12 years, with enhanced severity when the victim is a law enforcement officer, according to Justia Law.
A Recurring Danger on Davidson County Roads
Rose's swerve toward the lit-up patrol SUVs also runs headlong into Tennessee's Move Over Law. Tennessee Code § 55-8-132 requires drivers approaching stationary emergency vehicles with flashing blue or red lights to move into an adjacent lane or slow down, with violations punishable by fines up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The law was enacted in 2006, making Tennessee the 30th state to pass Move Over legislation aimed at protecting police officers, firefighters, and highway workers on the roadside.
Crashes into parked emergency vehicles remain a persistent hazard around Davidson County. Tennessee Highway Patrol issued safety warnings earlier this month citing recent local incidents, including a Metro Nashville police sergeant struck on Briley Parkway and a state trooper's cruiser hit on Interstate 65. Hoodline previously reported on a DUI cruiser crash in May 2025, when a Nashville man was charged with DUI after crashing into an MNPD patrol car on Gallatin Pike, causing minor officer injuries and disabling the vehicle.
Rose remains in Davidson County jail as the case moves through the legal process. Details on blood-alcohol test results and future court scheduling had not been released as of Wednesday.
