Drinking buddies go to jail together | Crime | Summerville Journal Scene

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Drinking buddies go to jail together

Published Tuesday, February 15, 2011 3:48 PM

By Jim Tatum
Summerville Journal Scene ®

Two friends partying at a bar in downtown Summerville finished off the evening in jail.

According to Summerville Police Department incident reports, the situation started to unfold about 11:35 p.m. Feb. 7 when a Summerville Police Officer checking speed by radar on Bacons Bridge Road clocked a car, a white Acura sedan, doing 51 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone. The officer followed and pulled that vehicle near the Crestwood Subdivision.

A few moments later, a second vehicle, a PT Cruiser, pulled up behind the officer’s car. The officer called for another unit and approached the Acura.

According to the report, the driver of the Acura, a 35-year-old Summerville man, told the officer he had just left the Kickin’ Chicken in Summerville and that he had three beers that evening. The officer noted that the driver smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot. He also had difficulty getting out of the vehicle when asked, having to hold onto the side of the car to maintain his balance. When the officer asked the man if he felt like he could drive, the man said that he didn’t want to answer that question. He also refused to take field sobriety tests.

It wasn’t too long before the man was in handcuffs in the back of the officer’s patrol car on his way to the Summerville Police Department, under arrest for Driving Under the Influence. When they arrived, he refused to take the Data Master breath test and was taken to the Dorchester County Detention Center.

As it turns out, he is awaiting trial for another DUI arrest by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department.

Meanwhile, a second officer arrived and spoke to the driver of the PT Cruiser, who turned out to be a 40-year-old Springfield, S.C. resident. He asked why the man had pulled over and he replied that he was following his friend. This officer, too, noticed a strong odor of alcohol and noticed that the man had difficulty getting out of his vehicle.

The driver did, however, agree to take the field sobriety tests, which he apparently failed. He was arrested for DUI and transported to SPD where he agreed to take the Data Master breath test, which he also apparently failed.

He was then transported to the Dorchester County Detention Center.

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