Calvert County, Maryland-August 30th, 2004
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office made history this weekend by conducting its first ever county run DWI checkpoints. The Sheriff’s Office is participating in the NHTSA mid-Atlantic regions “Checkpoint Strike force” pilot program. DWI saturation patrols were conducted throughout the weekend, which resulted in 10 Driving While Impaired arrests, one CDS arrest and numerous other traffic citations and warnings being issued. Seven other DWI arrests were made as a result of the DWI checkpoints.
The first check point was conducted on August 28th, 2004 from 9:54 pm to 11:54 pm. It was located on Maryland Route 765 in the area of Coster Road, Lusby, Maryland. This is the site of a recent alcohol related fatal crash. A total of 427 motorists passed through the checkpoint. 14 of the motorists that passed through the checkpoint had been consuming alcoholic beverages. These motorists were pulled to the side and submitted to field sobriety tests. Of these 14 drivers 2 were placed under arrest for Driving while impaired by alcohol.
The second check point was conducted on August 29th, 2004 from 12:30 am to 3:00 am. It was located on Maryland Route 2 between Alexander Street and C Street, Solomons, Maryland. This site was chosen due to the high number of DWI arrests made along Maryland Route 2 in Solomons Maryland. A total of 170 motorists passed through the checkpoint. 22 of the motorists were pulled to the edge of the roadway because they had been consuming alcohol. These motorists submitted to field sobriety tests. Of the 22 motorists, 5 were placed under arrest for Driving While Impaired by alcohol. Four motorists, while not arrested, were not allowed to continue to operate their vehicles.
Sheriff Mike Evans said “The Sheriff’s Office is capable of executing sobriety checkpoints at anytime, these checkpoints were the first of several to come. There will be more conducted before the end of this year. The bottom line is Don’t Drink and Drive.”