A 22-year-old Oxford Twp. man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in the wee hours Friday after he allegedly destroyed a decorative light pole and a honey locust tree in downtown’s southeast quadrant.
According to the Oxford Village Police report, the suspect was observed by a village officer, who was with some Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies at the time, driving towards Burdick St. with no lights on.
“The next thing I saw was sparks,” the officer wrote. “I heard one of the deputies say he just took out a pole.”
The officer got in his vehicle and took off after the suspect, who was driving a 2001 Dodge Stratus.
He caught up with the suspect on Mechanic St. and was able to effect a traffic stop near Moyers St. Assisted by a sheriff’s deputy, the village officer removed the driver from the Stratus and handcuffed him.
While talking with the suspect, the village officer noticed “his speech was very slurred,” the report stated. When asked how many alcoholic beverages he had consumed, the suspect replied “a couple” and told the officer had been drinking at two bars – one in Orion Twp. and one in downtown Oxford, according to the report.
With regard to the alleged accident downtown, “the driver said he had no idea he had taken out a pole and a tree,” the report stated. “When we showed him the damage to his vehicle, he stated he bought the car like that.”
At the scene, the suspect agreed to take a preliminary breath test (PBT) and it indicated he had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.25 – more than three times the legal driving limit of 0.08.
While looking over the Stratus, the officer observed “heavy” damage to the front end, “leaking fluid,” and a back windshield that was “completely shattered and gone.”
“Inside the vehicle, there (were) tree branches and leaves” along with an “extreme amount of glass,” the report stated.
Back at the police station, two more breath samples were taken, both of which indicated a BAC of 0.27, according to the report.
The suspect was transported to the Oakland County Jail without incident.