Update: Police have since said S.R. 85 is no longer shut down, but they advise cautious driving.
CRESTVIEW — Local authorities have closed State Road 85 due to icy conditions, Crestview Police Department officers report.
"You can't go anywhere," police spokesman Lt. Andrew Schneider said. "It's all closed. Just stay inside and don't go out."
Patrol officer Sam Kimmons said it was difficult even for police to get on the roads. He emerged from his home to find his patrol vehicle covered in a sheath of ice.
"I had to use hot water to get in my truck," Kimmons said. " I went in the police department and when I came out not two minutes later the windshield was iced over again."
Police said slippery conditions existed on most area roads.
"I pulled out onto (S.R.) 85 and the back end started to slide out," Kimmons said. "I said, 'Whoa!'"
At first police closed S.R. 85 on the uphill slope north of Live Oak Church Road because motorists could not get traction. Later the whole main north-south artery had to be shut down, Schneider said.
Police will announce when the road reopens.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Police announce SR 85 'completely shut down'