The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Montana man with sixteen prior convictions for driving while impaired was arrested last week for allegedly getting behind the wheel while intoxicated a seventeenth time.
On the evening of April 12, a 73-year-old man with a female passenger was driving a Toyota Prius through Missoula when an officer from the Missoula Police Department spotted the vehicle and asserted that it had no visible license plates. The officer pulled over the driver, and the man stopped in a nearby parking lot without incident.
When the officer peered into the vehicle, they reported that they noticed a bottle of what appeared to be whisky in the driver’s side door pocket. It was also noted that the officer believed the man, who has been convicted of six prior DUIs and 10 impaired driving charges, was showing several indications of intoxication. It was also reported that the man was driving without a license and insurance, and did not have the title for the Prius with him. He was asked to get out of the car, and the driver did not consent to taking roadside sobriety tests. He was allegedly uncooperative and argumentative when the officer tried to cuff him.
The man was arrested, and after the officer was granted a warrant, the suspect was taken to a local hospital where his blood was drawn to test his BAC. Afterward, he was transported to the Missoula County Jail. He is facing multiple preliminary charges, including felony DUI – fourth or subsequent offense, driving with a suspended or revoked license, operating without liability insurance, unlawful possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle on a highway, and failure to display license plates. According to reports, he is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a DUI offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.