One Drunk. Six Charges

As a rule I try to stay away from the city, but every so often I am asked to assist with something or another. A few nights ago was such an occasion. A BOLO for a particularly unsavory character required an increased law enforcement presence in the city so I answered the call. The wanted felon was not located, but my excursion into the concrete jungle was not totally unproductive.

Just before midnight I was patrolling one of the main arteries when right in front of me this clown blows a stop sign at a high rate of speed. Had I been going a few miles per hour faster, I would have been in the middle of the intersection in time to get t-boned by the speeding car.

I made a quick left, turned on the red and blues and pursued the vehicle through a second intersection. Within a few blocks it dawned on the driver that the flashing lights and wailing siren were meant for him.

I was not surprised when the dispatcher told me that the registration had expired. It was also no shock that the registered owner had a non-extraditable warrant from another state. In this case, it was not the driver.

I cautiously approached the car, and before reaching the driver's door the overwhelming odor of stale beer hit me. Before even completing my introduction and explanation, the driver cut me and exclaimed, " Yeah yeah, I know what I did wrong!" From experience I have learned to allow these outbursts to continue, as they frequently help build strong cases. This was no exception. I deviated from my usual dialogue and asked the guy what it was he thought he did wrong. With a broad smile he he practically sang, "I was drinking and driving!" Score! My reply was simply, " Among other things." I then fully explained the reason for stop and asked asked the man for the usual documentation. In this case, all I got was a state issued ID card. I returned to my vehicle, requested the necessary checks through dispatch, and was informed that subject was suspended for failure to submit to chemical testing in a similar set of circumstances. There were also numerous non-extraditable warrants from another state. The dispatch also warned me that the subject had a history of resisting and being confrontational with law enforcement. I requested backup and waiting until it arrived before approaching the vehicle a second time.

As it turned out, the remainder of the stop was actually simple enough. Of course it's never fun, even with rubber gloves on, to pat down someone that has urinated all over them self. The subject was compliant and actually submitted to the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. At times he was so animated in his lack of coordination that one might have believed he was acting. As he did in the previous case, he refused the preliminary breath test, and once at the station, refused the intox. He continued however to be polite and cooperative all the way through the booking process at the jail.

All said and done... He was charged with DUI(2nd offense), Driving while suspended, expired registration, Failure to stop at a stop sign, Transporting an open container, and Refusal to submit to chemical tests.

This was a decent stop to round out the night. As with all my DUI arrests, I was happy to get a drunk person off the road. I was also grateful for the big guys cooperation. I scuffle with him would have required a fairly significant level of force.

I have enjoyed a few nights off and tonight I return to work. I will spend my day mentally preparing myself fo my 12 hour tour of duty, and wondering what kind of interesting characters I will encounter.

Until next time.....Thanks for reading.