The following incident was reported by the Brecksville Police Department on Jan. 9. The information was compiled from a police report.

An officer’s walk was cut short a little before midnight on Jan. 9 when an SUV screeched to a stop in front of a parked police cruiser.

The officer was looking for something near Wallings and Brecksville roads with the police dog when the driver went through the intersection and suddenly stopped about 10 feet from the car. The officer watched the driver then stare at the police car from behind the wheel, turn into oncoming traffic and quickly get back into the correct lane and speed away on Brecksville Road.

The officer caught up to the driver and pulled him over. Immediately, the officer could smell alcohol, and the driver—a 73-year-old North Royalton man—said he had two gin drinks earlier. There was also a bottle of vodka on the front passenger seat. He denied running the intersection and almost hitting the parked police car, though. He was given a field sobriety test, which he failed, and the officer discontinued the rest for his safety. 

At the station, the man became argumentative, interrupting the officer and saying, “this is wrong.” He did consent to the breath test and was found to be over the legal limit. He was charged with operating a vehicle under the influence, operating a vehicle under the influence with a blood alcohol content above .17, failure to stop at a red light and weaving. 

Everybody makes mistakes—even us! If there's something in this article that you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give Local Editor Rachel Abbey McCafferty a ring at 440-292-7245 or shoot her an email at rachel.abbey@patch.com.