Sometimes your buddies can get you busted for DUI in Michigan.
Usually when someone is stopped on suspicion of drunk driving, it is because they were driving erratically or doing something else to attract the attention of the police.
But rowdy behavior by a passenger can also bring on the blue light.
That’s what happened June 8 in Waterford Township, where a man was arrested for suspected drunken driving after his friend screamed obscenities out the car window as they drove past police.
This is from CBS Detroit:
Waterford Township police Sgt. Chester Bartle told the Detroit Free Press, “We got a drunk driver off the streets because a passenger decided to yell at the cops.”
Police say officers were conducting a traffic stop early Saturday when [the suspect] drove past, and his passenger, a 34-year-old Waterford man, cussed loudly out the window. Officers stopped [the] car several blocks away and [the driver] was taken into custody for drunken driving.
The passenger received a disorderly conduct citation.
DUI in Michigan Is No Joke
Michigan treats the offense of drinking and driving with deadly seriousness. Harsh penalties are imposed on those who are convicted of any alcohol-related charge.
These penalties can include:
- Loss of driving privileges
- Stiff fines
- Jail time
Alcohol-related driving offenses are the most serious crimes handled in most district courts in Michigan. Often the punishments for first offense misdemeanors are harsher than the punishments for some felonies.
If you are arrested for OWI or DUI in Michigan, your best move is to hire a qualified Michigan DUI attorney.
