By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW — A 51-year-old Rockwood man was charged with fleeing and eluding, operating under the influence of alcohol and driving with a revoked license the night of March 24 after he crashed a hot-wired vehicle into a light pole near Sibley Road and Jefferson Avenue.
The man was initially spotted driving a Chevy Blazer at more than 80 mph on eastbound Sibley. When he ran a red light at Fort Street, the police officer activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop. When the man turned north onto Jefferson Avenue, the SUV left the roadway and crashed into a light pole.
The man smelled of intoxicants and spoke slowly and deliberately. The vehicle was running without keys, with the steering column damaged and the ignition wires exposed. The driver said it was not his vehicle and he did not know to whom it belonged.
The man declined medical treatment following the crash. Standardized field sobriety tests were administered, which he failed.
A preliminary breath test was administered and the man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.158, almost twice the 0.08 limit for legally drunk in Michigan. He was then taken to Corewell Health Hospital in Trenton for a blood draw.
The vehicle was impounded and towed, and DTE was notified of the downed light pole.