Open Cups of Alcohol, Erratic Driving Lead to Drunken Driving Charge

The following incidents were reported by the Brecksville Police Department on Jan. 20. The information was compiled from police reports.

Speeding, failing to stop leads to charges

It was just after midnight on Jan. 20 when police noticed a speeding car driving north on Interstate 77. Police immediately began to follow the car, signaling for it to stop, but the driver continued for a bit, swerving across the lanes. The car came to a stop about a minute and a half later. Police noted that the driver seemed to have a hard time turning off the car and getting out, and he struggled to follow directions. The driver and passengers all smelled of alcohol, and police soon found open cups filled with alcohol, an open can of beer and an open bottle of wine in the car. 

An officer gave the driver a field sobriety test and noticed some signs of intoxication. Back at the station, the driver failed to complete some more field sobriety tests and seemed confused. He wasn’t sure if he had been driving on 77 or 76, and said he had spent the previous three hours at a Christmas party. He refused to give a breath test. The 27-year-old Akron man was cited for speeding, driving under the influence and possession of an open container. The passengers—a 39-year-old Akron man and a 28-year-old Akron woman—were also cited for the open containers. 

Driving under the influence, part 2

Police stopped to talk to a 25-year-old San Francisco woman who made an illegal turn into the truenorth parking lot at about 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 20. The woman told police she had just left her boyfriend’s place and was getting some snacks before heading to her friend’s home. 

Police could smell alcohol on her. She told the officer that she had two drinks that day. She failed to properly complete some field sobriety tests and was taken back to the station. She was cited for the illegal turn and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence and operating a vehicle under the influence with a blood alcohol content above .17.

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