Brandon Twp.- Drunk drivers beware? deputies are on the hunt for you in the township.
‘Our guys are out there hitting the streets really hard every night and taking drunks off those streets,? said Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Burkett. ‘We are aggressively pursuing drunk driving in Brandon Township.?
From January to September 2007, deputies logged 17 arrests of persons operating while intoxicated. That number has more than doubled for the same time period this year? to 39 OWI arrests. Six of those arrests came last week alone, including:
n Sept. 25, at about 1:15 a.m., at Sashabaw and Seymour Lake roads, a deputy activated his lights to stop a vehicle with defective equipment. The driver continued on about a mile before finally stopping at an address in the 3800 block of Juniper. The man told the deputy he didn’t stop because he knew he was going to jail. A preliminary breathalyzer test showed he had a blood alcohol content of .249 percent and marijuana was also found on the suspect. He was arrested for fleeing and eluding; operating while intoxicated second offense, possession of marijuana, second offense, and driving while license suspended, second offense.
n Sept. 27, at about 7 p.m., deputies were alerted to be on the lookout for a blue Chevy Blazer near Seymour Lake and Sashabaw roads that was running off the road and also crossing into oncoming traffic. A deputy found the vehicle and stopped it after seeing it drive off the road and into the ditch. When he asked the driver why she was driving erratically, she replied that she ate Mexican food that didn’t agree with her. She at first denied drinking, but then admitted to consuming a couple alcoholic beverages several hours earlier. She failed several field sobriety tests and didn’t blow properly for the preliminary breathalyzer test, but still registered a .163 percent blood alcohol content. She was arrested for operating while intoxicated.
n Sept. 28, at about 12:35 a.m., deputies were dispatched to the 2900 block of Allen Road for a vehicle in the ditch. The deputies arrived to find a Saturn Vue with no one in it. When they went to the address of the person to whom the car was registered, they found him with obvious injuries, including cuts to his nose and ear, and cuts on his arms. He had showered and cleaned up the blood and changed his clothes, but still smelled of intoxicants. He said he hadn’t had a drink since leaving the bar. A preliminary breathalyzer test on the man showed results of .163 percent blood alcohol content. He was cited for failing to use due care or caution and for operating while intoxicated and taken to the Oakland County Jail.
n Sept. 28, at about 9:13 p.m., deputies were alerted to be on the lookout for a Crown Victoria on Baldwin Road near Indianwood after a witness following the vehicle reported seeing the suspect crossing into oncoming traffic. A deputy located the vehicle near Hummer Lake Road and stopped it at Oakwood Road after observing it swerve onto the shoulder twice. The driver said he was heading home from St. Clair Shores and wasn’t drinking, although he smelled strongly of intoxicants and was slurring his words. A preliminary breathalyzer test showed the man had a .169 percent blood alcohol content. Two empty beer bottles, as well as one that was partially full and another that was unopened were found in the vehicle. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated.
n Sept. 29, at about 1:07 a.m., a deputy on patrol stopped a vehicle at S. Sashabaw Road and Zeer Boulevard for defective equipment. The driver smelled of intoxicants and said he’d had one 40-ounce beer, but didn’t drink while driving. A preliminary breathalyzer test showed results of .139 percent blood alcohol content. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated.
n Sept. 30, at about 12:30 a.m., a deputy saw a vehicle stop at the stop sign at Sashabaw and Oakhill roads for at least four minutes. The deputy suspected the driver saw him and was hesitant to pass. When the vehicle finally passed him, it crossed the centerline twice and also went over the fogline. The deputy stopped the vehicle at Sashabaw and Al-Bert. The driver, who smelled strongly of intoxicants, said he was coming from Pontiac and had a few drinks. A preliminary breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol content to be .162 percent. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated. A Datamaster breath test at Oakland County Jail showed a blood alcohol content of .23 percent. The man also had two prior operating while intoxicated on his record.
Burkett noted that repeat offenders are common. Of the 39 arrests for OWI from January to September, 11 were repeat offenders, and some of those were third and fourth convictions for OWI.
‘For a lot of these people, they do it on a regular basis and don’t think it’s a big deal,? he said. ‘They just don’t care.?
The 40th drunk driving arrest in the township this year came on Wednesday morning, the first day of October, at 12:43 a.m. A deputy on patrol on Sashabaw Road near Oakhill Road activated his lights to stop a vehicle with no plate. The vehicle slowed but didn’t stop until reaching a driveway in the 3600 block of Juniper. The driver told the deputy he didn’t stop because he didn’t want his car impounded because of outstanding warrants. The man smelled of intoxicants and said he left work at 11:30 p.m. and had a few sips from a drink in the cupholder. A preliminary breathalyzer test on the man had results of .090 percent blood alcohol content. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated and taken to the Oakland County Jail, where a syringe was found in his coat pocket and a plastic straw was found in his back pocket (which the deputy suspected was used to snort drugs). Both were confiscated to check for controlled substances. The man had two outstanding warrants, including one from Auburn Hills for operating while intoxicated, second offense, and one from Grosse Pointe Farms for driving while license suspended. He also had seven current suspensions back to 2003 and two convictions from the Detroit Police Department for controlled substances, one from 1985 and one from 2000.