Police say drunken driver crashed his car in front of state trooper in Ypsilanti
A man who was extremely intoxicated lost control of his vehicle on I-94 at the Michigan Avenue exit in Ypsilanti, crashed through several large road signs and came to a stop in a ditch about 30 feet from a state police trooper who was parked on the street Tuesday night, state police said in a press release.
The 43-year-old man was unable to stand without help after the crash, which occurred about 8:30 p.m., the release said. He could not complete sentences or follow simple directions. He told the trooper he was drunk and wanted to skip sobriety tests and be taken directly to jail, the release said.
Once there, a breath test indicated he had a blood alcohol level of .3 percent, nearly four times that at which a person can be considered intoxicated.
The state police will seek to have the driver prosecuted under Michigan's new "super-drunk" law, the press release said. That law, which went into effect Oct. 31, carries stiffer penalties than ordinary drunken driving convictions. A person sentenced under the new law, which applies to those with blood alcohol levels above .17 percent, can receive additional jail time, ignition interlock requirements and longer license sanctions.
The driver was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Superior Township before being taken to the Washtenaw County Jail.
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com