Minor traffic and equipment violations end North Carolina DWI charge
Sunday, March 20th, 2011A sergeant with the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team in Iredell County says he observed a 1994 Chevrolet commit a minor traffic violation. The officer says a piece of equipment on the car was malfunctioning. The sergeant reportedly decided to make a routine traffic stop to investigate the alleged violations. Any Greenville DWI defense attorney frequently sees routine traffic stops for minor traffic or equipment violations expand to DWI related incidents.
In Monday’s incident, the officer says he approached the driver of the 1994 Chevrolet and explained his reasons for making the traffic stop. The officer asked the 25-year-old driver to step out of the Chevrolet and take a seat in the patrol car. Once inside the patrol car, the officer reportedly began writer out warning citation for the alleged traffic and equipment violations.
The sheriff says that while seated in the patrol car, the officer detected a strong scent of alcohol on the driver’s breath. The sheriff says the driver appeared to have bloodshot eyes and his face was flushed. The sergeant says he asked the 25-year-old how much he had had to drink.
The 25-year-old allegedly admitted to drinking a 32 ounce beer roughly 45 minutes before the traffic stop. Law enforcement says the driver admitted to drinking a beer around 10:30 a.m. on that same day. The officer told the driver to take roadside breath test on an alco-sensor. The sheriff says the driver measured .12 on the alco-sensor. The 25-year-old was placed under arrest on suspicion of DWI.
Law enforcement claims the driver did not have a valid license at the time of the arrest. The 25-year-old is accused of driving with a suspended or revoked license. Law enforcement says the 25-year-old has a separate DWI charge pending that allegedly occurred six months ago.
Source: WBTV, “DWI suspect began drinking at 10:30 am, sheriff says,” 15 Mar 2011