HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A Henrico father was jailed Monday after an incident at a West End gas station. Michael Jerrod Thompkins, 40, was charged with being drunk in public and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to online police records.
"It was definitely the craziest thing I've seen on the job," gas station clerk Peter Webb said about Monday's incident.
Webb said Thompkins and his daughter walked in at about 4:30 p.m., bought some snacks and sat down. Soon thereafter, Webb said Thompkins fell out of his chair and onto the ground.
Michael Jerrod Thompkins, 40, was charged with being drunk in public and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to online police records.
"I heard a loud crash sound in the lobby area," Webb said. "He was dazed and confused."
While one customer called 911, others came to the aide the young girl.
"She was like daddy-daddy are you okay?" Webb recalled.
Webb called Thompkins a regular customer at the Mobil gas station at 5401 Glenside Drive near Bethlehem Road.
The amount of car traffic on Glenside Drive was of particular concern to Webb and others given Thompkins' condition.
"That child was walking with him and could've easily been hit by a car," customer Byron Clark said. "He could've left that child here or worse."
A Henrico County Police officer bought the child an ice cream at the gas station to ease her nerves while they waited for other family members to arrive.
Thompkins remained jailed Tuesday evening, according to online jail records.
