By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — A 63-year-old Dearborn man found asleep behind the wheel the morning of Feb. 12 at a traffic light on southbound Allen Road at Northline Road was taken into custody for operating under the influence of drugs.
The vehicle was in park, with the engine running, while the man was sitting in the driver’s seat with his eyes closed and his head tucked into his chest.
The police officer had to knock on the window twice to awaken the man, who appeared to be confused when he woke up.
The man did not smell of intoxicants and there were no alcohol containers in the vehicle. The man stated that he had not had not been drinking alcohol, but that he had taken a sleeping pill an hour before he left work.
The man had a clean driving record and he was the registered owner of the vehicle he was driving.
The man declined medical attention and agreed to perform standardized field sobriety tests, which he did not pass.
At this point, his vehicle would not start, so it was impounded and towed to get it out of the roadway.
The police officer believed that there was probable cause that the man was operating under the influence of narcotics, so he was taken into custody and a blood draw was performed at a nearby hospital. He was then taken to the Taylor police station, where he was booked and held.