A 54-year-old man was charged with driving while intoxicated after he passed a stopped school bus and committed several other moving violations. He was traveling from his home in North Raleigh to his workplace when police arrested him.
When he arrived to his place of work, the suspect had an open container of vodka by him and told police he had drunk another gallon the night before. While being pursued by police, the driver not only passed the stopped school bus, but also ran off the road several times, nearly hit a mailbox and parked cars, and drove 20 mph on a road with a posted speed limit of 45 mph. It was another driver who called 911 to alert the police to the suspect’s erratic driving.
According to court records, the suspect’s breathalyzer test indicated a .21 percent blood alcohol level — almost three times over the legal limit of .08. The man was kept in a holding cell until he sobered up; authorities then released him on $3,000 bail.
His admission to drinking heavily the night before his arrest may complicate the suspect’s legal defense. What drivers in North Carolina need to remember is that the state has some of the stiffest penalties around. Not only are jail time and fines a real possibility, but an arrest — just an arrest, not a conviction — can mean a months-long license suspension. The penalties are even stricter for repeat offenders and drivers who have children in the car at the time of their arrest.
Source: Raleigh News & Observer, “Driver charged with being drunk and passing a stopped school bus,” Feb. 6, 2013