Affidavit: Tennessee cop faces DUI, assault charges, stopped for going 104 miles per hour

A Hendersonville police officer has been decommissioned and temporarily suspended from duty pending an internal investigation after he was stopped by a Sumner County deputy Monday and charged with driving under the influence and assault on an officer, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Steven Wilson was driving 104 miles per hour in a 65-mile-per hour zone on Highway 86, and he continued on toward Exit 6 after a deputy activated his overhead lights and siren in an attempt to stop him.

Wilson was seen with “bloodshot-watery eyes” and the odor of intoxicating beverage was coming from his vehicle once he did pull over, the affidavit said.

When he was asked to get out of his car, Wilson asked Deputy Oscar Vazquez to turn off his body camera, the affidavit notes. It also said that when Vazquez refused, Wilson grabbed at the deputy’s body camera repeatedly and eventually grabbed at Vazquez’s left wrist.

Body camera footage also shows Wilson grab his car keys off the hood of Vazquez’s cruiser and begin walking back to his car before Vazquez grabbed Wilson, the affidavit said.

A struggle ensued, and Vazquez is heard asking responding officers to “step it up” in coming to the scene, the affidavit notes of the footage.

At least four responding deputies and a Hendersonville police officer arrived and struggled to gain control of Wilson, who was warned he would be Tased, the affidavit said.

Four deputies were ultimately able to take Wilson to the ground and handcuff him, the affidavit said.

Vazquez suffered a cut near the pinky finger of his left hand while trying to handcuff Wilson, but he did not seek medical attention for the wound, according to documentation from authorities.

Wilson did not consent to a blood test, but the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for one and conducted a blood draw shortly before 4 a.m. on Monday.

A search of Wilson’s car revealed two small Jack Daniels bottles and two unopened White Claw beverages, authorities noted.

“Based on the speeds he was traveling, his intoxication, and his action during the traffic stop, I believe that Mr. Wilson was a danger to himself and the public,” the affidavit said.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.