Multiple Drunken Drivers Arrested in Troy

Updated: Wednesday, May 15 at 9:35 p.m. to include information from another recent report.

The following information about recent incidents of drunken driving and driving under the influence is taken directly from the most recent Troy Police Department media release. Note: In Michigan, the blood alcohol content legal limit is .08 percent.

E. South Blvd. and Dequindre Rd. at 6:20 a.m. on May 11: A Troy Officer was dispatched to the area after a citizen reported a suspected drunk driver. The officer located the suspect vehicle and confirmed it was driving erratically, including on the shoulder of the roadway. When the vehicle was stopped the officer noted the driver had very bloodshot/glassy eyes and slurred speech. The 33-year-old Shelby Township man failed sobriety tests and was arrested for operating while intoxicated and driving with an expired license. Breath test results were .10 percent. 

McDonald's (3039 Rochester Rd.) at  12:08 a.m. on May 12: Troy Officers were dispatched to the business after employees reported there was an unresponsive man in a vehicle in the parking lot. When officers arrived they found the driver unresponsive but breathing. Narcotic paraphernalia associated with heroin use was found in his vehicle. The 36-year-old male was transported to an area hospital by ambulance. He was charged with operating under the influence of drugs and a blood test was administered. The Sterling Heights resident was also arrested for operating under the influence of drugs on April 19 of this year. 

Interstate-75 and Rochester Rd. at 2:39 a.m. on May 12: A vehicle was stopped after a Troy Officer observed it swerve out of its lane and then change lanes abruptly cutting off the patrol vehicle. The driver smelled of intoxicants, had glassy/bloodshot eyes and heavily slurred speech. When he was searched for weapons a baggie of marijuana fell out of the driver’s pant leg. The 41-year-old Pontiac resident failed sobriety tests and was arrested for operating while intoxicated second offense, driving while license suspended second offense and possession of marijuana. A blood test was administered and results are pending. 

Interstate-75 and Rochester Rd. at 5:21 a.m. on May 12: Troy Officers were dispatched when a caller reported a vehicle had struck the guardrail on I-75 and was stuck in the ditch. Officers arrived on the scene and found a vehicle in the median side ditch facing the wrong direction. The driver was unsteady on his feet, smelled of intoxicants and had slurred speech. Following an investigation, the 29-year-old Macomb resident was arrested for operating while intoxicated. Breath test results were .18 percent.

Rochester Rd. at E. Long Lake Rd. at 4:35 a.m. on May 13: Troy Officers stopped a vehicle traveling 62 miles-per-hour in a 45 mile per-hour-zone. The driver did not immediately pull over when the officers activated their emergency lights. The driver stopped only after officers used their siren and then the patrol vehicles public address system to order the driver to stop. The 48-year-old male from St Louis, MO, smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech and bloodshot/glassy eyes. A partially full beer was found in his car. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated and open intoxicants in a motor vehicle. A blood test was administered and results are pending.

Rochester Rd. and E. Big Beaver Rd., at 3:11 a.m. on May 15: Troy Officers stopped a vehicle they observed driving erratically (including crossing over the right lane marker on multiple occasions). The 18-year-old driver smelled of intoxicants, had slurred speech, and watery/glassy eyes. The driver stated she was on the way from her home in Madison Heights to her parents’ home in Royal Oak, but had become lost. Officers asked the woman if she was intoxicated, and she replied “yes.” After failing sobriety tests she was arrested. In the lock-up facility, two aplrazolam (anti-anxiety) pills were found in her purse; she admitted she did not have a prescription for the drug. She was charged with operating while intoxicated and possession of a controlled substance. Breath test results were .19 percent.  

Call Troy Police at (248) 524-3447 if you have any information about these incidents. For questions about this report, email local editor Tim Rath at tim.rath@patch.com.