Man Crashes into Concrete Barrier, Flees to McDonald's

March 4, at approximately 1 a.m. San Angelo Police Officer John Bouligny observed a vehicle that had hit the concrete barrier to the entrance ramp of Houston Harte Expressway West bound at 6th Street.  Officer Bouligny noticed the driver in the crash had left the vehicle and was not on scene. While conducting his investigation, a male subject arrived and informed Officer Bouligny that the driver had gone to the McDonald’s on N. Bryant and was waiting for a ride.

Officer Bouligny had other officers go the McDonald’s and attempt to locate the driver and check on his condition. Officer Christopher Martin and Officer Emory McAndrews located the driver identified as Michael Coates (08/13/1972).  During the initial contact with Coates, he denied being the driver of the vehicle as well as being Michael Coates.

Officer Martin and McAndrews recognized Coates from previous San Angelo Police Department encounters with him; during a routine warrant search learned he had several outstanding warrants. He was taken into custody and while searching him, the officers located 2.1 grams of methamphetamine, as well as a small plastic bag of marijuana weighing less than 2 ounces in his jacket pockets.   Coates was not injured in the crash, he denied anyone else being in the car with him at the time of the crash. The vehicle was removed from the ramp by a wrecker. 

Officer McAndrews gave Coates a ride to the jail where he was booked in on the following charges:

Possession of Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana, a warrant for Possession of a prohibited weapon, a warrant for Possession of Marijuana (Go off Bound) and two Municipal Court warrants.