OCEAN CITY – Longtime Wicomico County State’s Attorney Davis Ruark was arrested on Friday in Ocean City on driving under the influence of alcohol charges after a concerned citizen called 911 to report his erratic driving.
Around 9:40 p.m. on Friday, Ocean City Police dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a vehicle driving erratically and speeding on eastbound Route 90 heading toward the resort. The caller provided a description and tag number for the vehicle and shortly thereafter, the OCPD observed the vehicle at the base of the Route 90 bridge.
OCPD officers observed the vehicle head north on Coastal Highway going 50 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. The officers followed the vehicle as it turned west on 94th Street and observed the vehicle cross the yellow centerline of the roadway several times. Police stopped the vehicle on Chesapeake Drive and identified the driver as Davis Ruark, who is currently the state’s attorney for Wicomico County.
After failing several field sobriety tests, Ruark was placed under arrest for driving under the influence. At the time, Ruark was driving a 2000 Nissan registered to the Wicomico County government. He was transported to OCPD headquarters where he was administered a breath test, the results of which exceeded the legal blood alcohol concentration of .08.
Ruark was processed and released to a responsible party after signing citations. He was charged with driving under the influence, speeding and failure to keep right of center. Ruark has since apologized publicly for his actions and has taken a leave of absence from his position as the top prosecutor in neighboring Wicomico County.
For more details and all of this week’s news, check out Friday’s print and on-line editions of The Dispatch.