By Macee Swafford
The Times-Tribune
KNOX COUNTY, Ky. — Knox County EMS Director Steven Jones had his contract with the ambulance service terminated last Friday, just days after he was arrested on a DUI charge following a crash involving an EMS vehicle on Paynes Creek Road.
Steven W. Jones, 60, of Hinkle, was arrested last Wednesday after officers responded to a wreck near the intersection of Paynes Creek Road and KY 1304. The citation stated that dispatch had received a call around 8:08 p.m. from Jones himself, who admitted to having been drinking and needing someone to work the wreck.
| READ NEXT: First responders and alcohol – how much is too much?
When Knox sheriff’s deputies arrived, they reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol and observed damage to the passenger side of the EMS vehicle. According to the citation, Jones told Kentucky State Police Trooper William Knight — who took over the investigation due to county policy against deputies investigating collisions involving county-owned vehicles — that a deer ran in front of him, causing him to swerve and possibly hit a street sign.
Field sobriety tests were administered, and the citation noted multiple signs of impairment including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, lack of smooth pursuit during eye tests and difficulty maintaining balance during walk-and-turn and one-leg stand exercises. Jones admitted to officers that he had consumed “big Coors beers” earlier in the evening after he’d gotten off work at 1:30 p.m.
Jones was not on duty at the time of the wreck, and later consented to a breath test at the Knox County Detention Center, which showed a blood alcohol content of .140 — nearly twice the legal limit of .08.
He denied a blood test but was lodged in the Knox detention center on a charge of operating a motor vehicle under the influence. He was released on his own recognizance the following day.
Following his arrest, the Knox County EMS board convened and voted Friday to terminate Jones’s contract with the ambulance service, according to board member Steve Warren.
Jones was scheduled to appear in Knox District Court for arraignment on Monday, August 25. With a not guilty plea entered on his behalf, a pretrial conference has been set for September 25.
© 2025 The Times-Tribune (Corbin, Ky.).
Visit www.thetimestribune.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
