Driving under the influence is always a bad idea. Drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol put themselves and others in sincere danger. That’s often because of a large lack of judgment. Just such a lack of judgment was on display quite clearly in Arkansas during a recent suspected DWI stop. The citizen under investigation drove off before the traffic stop ended.
The incident happened on May 23rd in the rural area of Heber Springs in Arkansas. An officer saw a speeding Toyota Camry and initiated the stop in question. When he approached the car, he noticed an open vodka container in the passenger floorboard. Evidently, the driver appeared flustered and struggled to find his license.
The officer asked the driver to exit the vehicle and continued to question him. The driver admits on camera to having a couple of drinks but would not comply to perform field sobriety tests or a breathalyzer. Ultimately, the officer had the driver put the alcohol in the trunk and appeared to believe that the driver was safe to drive.
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He tells the driver to have a seat in his car and that he’ll be back with him in a minute. Less than a minute later though, the suspect drives away. The officer immediately flips his lights and siren back on but the driver doesn’t pull back over as though this was a simple misunderstanding. Instead, the Camry driver goes about three-and-a-half miles before finally pulling over again.
This time though, there’s no question about what’s going to happen. The police officer observed the driver reach speeds of 75 mph (120 km/h) and drive through intersections in addition to driving over the centerline. He subsequently went to jail where he again refused a blood alcohol test. It’s shocking to think about just how close this person was to being back on the road before he made a public display of his lack of judgment.