CLINTON — On the evening of Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, Officer John McNamara was on Brook Street blocking the roadway near Hannaford due to downed power lines.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer John McNamara and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“I had my cruiser positioned in the southbound lane of traffic blocking it with my blue overhead cruiser lights on as well as cones and a sign in the northbound lane preventing anyone from coming through,” Officer McNamara said. “At approximately 11:27 p.m., a blue Ram 1500 was traveling in the northbound lane and went around the cones into the southbound lane right by my cruiser almost striking it and ran over a couple of cones in the other lane.”
Officer McNamara said that, at this time, he activated his emergency blue lights and initiated a motor vehicle stop in front of 743 Main Street.
“I radioed the plate to dispatch Kansas Registration [# redacted] a 2015 blue Ram 1500 owned by a Mr. Joshua Jordan,” Officer McNamara said, adding that Jordan is 26-years-old.
Officer McNamara said he asked Jordan what he was doing and if he saw him parked in his cruiser with the blue overhead emergency lights on. In response, Jordan said, “No, I’m sorry I didn’t see you.”
Officer McNamara said Jordan had glossy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
“Next, I asked Mr. Jordan if he had been drinking tonight and where he was coming from,” Officer McNamara said. “He stated, ‘No, I’m coming from a residence.’”
Officer McNamara then asked Sergeant Joseph Lefebvre to respond to the scene to assist.
When Sergeant Lefebvre arrived on scene at approximately 11:30 p.m., Officer McNamara updated him on the situation.
“I then asked Mr. Jordan where he was coming from, and he stated Turner Hall bar in Clinton,” Officer McNamara said.
At this time, Officer McNamara asked Jordan to step out of the vehicle.
“When he got out of the vehicle, he stumbled, and I observed his zipper to his jeans was down. At this time the odor of an alcoholic beverage was coming from his person and breath,” Officer McNamara said.
Officer McNamara asked Jordan to move to a well-lit, flat area on the white fog line on the side of the roadway.
“I advised Mr. Jordan I would be conducting Standardized Field Sobriety tests to determine if it was safe to operate a motor vehicle,” Officer McNamara said. “I then advised him to place his hands by his side, feet together, and asked him how far he went in school he stated college.”
Officer McNamara then asked Jordan if he knew the English alphabet and he said “yes.”
“I then asked him to recite the alphabet slowly and without singing. I demonstrated and asked if he had any questions,” Officer McNamara said. “Mr. Jordan asked if he should say it while walking, I advised him to just stand still and say it.”
Officer McNamara said Jordan began to recite the alphabet in a slow and deliberate manner before backtracking, skipping multiple letters, and ultimately failing to say it correctly.
“Once he finished the first test, I asked Mr. Jordan if he had any injuries, he stated yes, he had a leg injury,” Officer McNamara said. “For the next test, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, I explained the test and conducted it.”
According to findlaw.com, the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test is a field sobriety test where an officer has an individual follow an object (such as a pen tip or pen light) with his/her eyes. The HGN test checks for the involuntary jerking of one’s eyes as they gaze side to side. This involuntary jerkiness is said to increase while under the influence of alcohol.
“Due to Mr. Jordan’s performance on the test and his unsteadiness on his feet I decided not to conduct anymore tests and formed the opinion that Mr. Jordan was under the influence of alcohol and his ability to safely operate a motor vehicle was impaired,” Officer McNamara said.
Officer McNamara told Jordan he was under arrest and handcuffed him.
“Sergeant Lefebvre and I escorted him to the rear of my vehicle,” Officer McNamara said. “At this time, I read Mr. Jordan his Miranda warning from a card I keep in my right breast pocket.”
Officer Michael Frick arrived on scene and conducted an inventory of the vehicle before it was towed by Guaranty Auto Sales & Service, during which Sergeant Lefebvre located an open Evan Williams bourbon nip bottle on the rear passenger-side floorboard.
Jordan was then transported to Clinton Police Station for booking.
“It should be noted throughout the tests, transport, and booking, there was a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Mr. Jordan which was not present prior to this interaction, and his speech was slurred,” Officer McNamara said.
During booking, Officer McNamara said Jordan refused a breathalyzer test.
Joshua Jordan, 26, was arrested and charged with the following violations/offenses:
- OUI Liquor or .08%
- Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle
- Marked Lanes Violation
- Town By-Law Violation: Open Container
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in October, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:
An online business model that could replace local newspapers
Why The Leominster Champion Failed
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud
