Wrong way
Saturday, Feb. 25
Issue date: 3/6/06 Section: Police Blotter
At 12:25 a.m., a University Police sergeant on patrol saw a vehicle turn from Park Avenue onto Garfield Avenue into an oncoming lane of traffic.
The sergeant followed the vehicle, which had a broken license plate lamp and a cracked front windshield, and saw the vehicle swerve once again within the lane on University Drive.
Upon stopping the vehicle in the Governor's Hall parking lot, the sergeant identified the driver via a Wisconsin driver's license. The man said that the reason for the wide turn onto Garfield Avenue was that he had been talking with the passengers of the vehicle and not paying attention.
The man said he was aware of the cracked windshield but not the malfunctioning license plate lamp. While talking with the man, the sergeant could smell alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and asked the man to get out.
After the man exited the vehicle, the sergeant asked him how much alcohol he had consumed. The man said he had had no alcohol that evening. The sergeant told the man that he could smell alcohol on him and saw that the man's eyes were glassy and bloodshot. The man then admitted to having had a "sip" of alcohol at a party.
The sergeant requested the man take a series of sobriety tests, and the sergeant issued a preliminary breathalyzer test, which resulted in a .08 reading.
The sergeant arrested the man for violation of absolute sobriety and took him to the hospital where he issued written warnings for violating absolute sobriety, operating left of center, having a defective windshield and having a defective license plate lamp.
The man agreed to a blood test, after which the sergeant transported the man to the Eau Claire County jail.
The three passengers of the vehicle received citations for underage drinking.
The sergeant followed the vehicle, which had a broken license plate lamp and a cracked front windshield, and saw the vehicle swerve once again within the lane on University Drive.
Upon stopping the vehicle in the Governor's Hall parking lot, the sergeant identified the driver via a Wisconsin driver's license. The man said that the reason for the wide turn onto Garfield Avenue was that he had been talking with the passengers of the vehicle and not paying attention.
The man said he was aware of the cracked windshield but not the malfunctioning license plate lamp. While talking with the man, the sergeant could smell alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and asked the man to get out.
After the man exited the vehicle, the sergeant asked him how much alcohol he had consumed. The man said he had had no alcohol that evening. The sergeant told the man that he could smell alcohol on him and saw that the man's eyes were glassy and bloodshot. The man then admitted to having had a "sip" of alcohol at a party.
The sergeant requested the man take a series of sobriety tests, and the sergeant issued a preliminary breathalyzer test, which resulted in a .08 reading.
The sergeant arrested the man for violation of absolute sobriety and took him to the hospital where he issued written warnings for violating absolute sobriety, operating left of center, having a defective windshield and having a defective license plate lamp.
The man agreed to a blood test, after which the sergeant transported the man to the Eau Claire County jail.
The three passengers of the vehicle received citations for underage drinking.
