(WXYZ) — More than 200 people were arrested for drunk driving during the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown from Dec. 13-31, 2018.
“If you are impaired by any substance you shouldn’t drive,” said Michael L. Prince, Office of Highway Safety Planning director. “Motorists were asked to make responsible decisions as they celebrated the holidays and to have a plan in place to get home safely. Unfortunately, the holidays were not a merry occasion for everyone.”
According to preliminary reports, officers made 8,674 traffic stops, arrested 204 drunk drivers, issued 883 speeding citations and issued 84 child restraint citations. Additionally, 93 felony arrests were made during the enforcement period.
Michigan State Police say in one instance, a trooper from the Marshall post stopped a vehicle for suspected drunk driving. In the process of removing the driver from the vehicle, the officer noticed a large caliber handgun on the driver. Both the gun and the driver's sweatshirt had blood on them from an unknown source.
Later, the Battle Creek Fire Department responded to a residential fire and discovered a dead body inside who had been shot multiple times and died before the fire started. Upon investigation, it was determined that the driver stopped for suspicion of drunk driving allegedly committed the homicide with the weapon found inside the vehicle.
In Michigan, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, although motorists can be arrested at any BAC level if an officer believes they are impaired. Michigan’s drunk driving law contains a zero-tolerance provision for drivers with certain illegal drugs in their system.
