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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 1979)
THE BATTALION MONDAY. MARCH IQ iqtq Page 3 ins n up impu s I early «n 8-5 arrests in county in 1978 WIs — a continuing problem [By DAVID BOGGAJN Battalion Staff under obeof lie in- s, said tee on i sell- ligher 1, Bob “We eview ibably Corp. ies rdit of jrday. ) have tty re- >e the 1 com- e Car on for ces er sev- ices at liar in- as this , 1981, /ithout such a ■ar and d. ms It’s Saturday night and John Doe, citizen of the Bryan-College Sta- ion community, has just left a party t a friend’s apartment. He has been rinking steadily all evening, and al- he faintly remembers a tele- ision commercial warning against riving after drinking, John slowly 'ets behind the driver s seat. “I don’t get drunk,” he reasons to ilf. "And besides, 1 drive better fter a few drinks.” So, John starts his car and heads br home. As he drives down the fMjJie swerves into the next lane ken jerks suddenly back into his wnmne. Almost immediately, John notices le flashing lights of a law enforce- ent officer’s vehicle in his rear ew mirror. The officer stops John id meets him as he is getting out of s car After observing John and Meeting sufficient evidence, the of- :er informs him that he is being rested for driving while intoxi- ted — DVV7. “A drunk in a car is like a person aving a loaded .357 magnum in a owd, says Lt. Gene Knowles of e Bliyan Police Department. In that light, there are untold mil- >ns of “trigger happy” drunk driv- s on[ the streets and highways of is nation. John and the thousands ce him who do get stopped are in e minority. But John was lucky. He was stop- ;d before he caused property dam- ;e, injury or death. According to e National Safety Council, alcohol a factor in half of all highway alities. The Texas Highway Patrol re- irted making 40,621 DWI arrests 1978, 177 of them in Brazos runty That year, the College Sta- >n police Department recorded .o ii.ia >2 DWI arrests while the Bryan ration dice Department made 302 DWI ation’s r f sts A police officer cannot stop a :rson for being drunk,” says Lt. ason Newton of the College Sta in Police Department. “But he n stop him for a traffic violation, e weaving across the line down e mipdle of the road. But the offi- r mijst make sure there is a viola- on,” “We get as much evidence as we in tolprove our case that this per- ~ isldrunk,” Newton says. “If is the smell of alcohol on the son, if his speech is slurred, if his s are bloodshot, we know he has either drinking or using drugs, most cases. If we ask him for his license and H trouble getting it out of his Hthat is still another reason for officer to suspect this person is toxicated. And we can conduct f imary field tests. For example, it lawful to ask a person to walk a raight line. He does not have to mply, but he is going to be ar- stedjand charged with DWI if he esni.” If, in the eyes of the officer, the rson is drunk, he is arrested and vised of his rights. He is then cen [to the Brazos County Cour- ouse where the evidence- hering process is continued. In Texas, a person is considered oxicated if he has a . 10 percent ohol content in his blood. This /el is usually determined by a eathalizer test made after the per- a has been arrested. law enforcement agencies in County use the breathalizer tchine at the Brazos County Cour- ause. In a process that takes about minutes, the arrested person eathes into the device which alyzes the alcohol content of his >od. If he breathes a .10 or above, he 11 be held for the night (most DWI rests occur at night) and brought fore the county judge in the liming, where bond is set. If he eathes less than a . 10, he can still ticketed for the traffic violation or 'public intoxication. “If the person has a Texas driver’s ense, he is required to take the lizer test on request of the implied consent law. If the person refuses, which he has the right to do, his license can be suspended by the Department of Public Safety for one year upon conviction of a DWI.” County Attorney John M. Barron Jr., who prosecutes DWI offenders, explains that, depending on circum stances, a DWI conviction can be labeled a felony. “If we can get the first-time of fender to plead guilty, he will usu ally be put on probation,” Barron says. “But we have numerous re peaters. After the first probation, the second DWI charge will lead to a (misdemeanor) conviction and the next is a felony.” Barron says that the punishment for a DWI conviction can range from three days to two years in jail and from $50-500 fine. But the offender is not the only one who pays for a DWI conviction. “DWI is very time-consuming to us in law enforcement,” Knowles says. “When we re fooling around with a drunk, we re not protecting businesses and homes.” Says Newton, “It takes a minimum of an hour and a half to process a DWI offender. As a good estimate, with the paperwork and all, I would say two hours would be a good average. “That takes a (patrol) car off the streets for two hours. It takes a two-man unit off the streets, also.” It is interesting to note that there were almost twice as many DWI ar rests in Bryan as in College Station in 1978. This can be explained par tially by the fact that the College Station police do not automatically charge a first offender with DWI. “We feel like DWI is a pretty heavy burden for, say, an 18-year- old who’s been out celebrating his birthday to handle,” Newton ex plains. “So no, we don’t charge the first offender with DWI in every circumstance. Now, if there is prop erty damage or if it is a second of fense, we are going to charge him. But none of this is to say that we condone driving and drinking in any way. ” Knowles says, “If he (an intoxi cated person) is driving, we file DWI. It is a time-consuming pro cess. We may have four officers working on one DWI. But it is our policy.” Newton finds another reason for the difference in the two cities’ presents San Antonio Symphony with the Texas A&M Singin and Centui adets ay^April 10th dder Auditorium said n of g at- Or- i the ision had 3S in ncial said v to nian that Or- lave ns.’ ove een d to Inst Ticket Prices- Regular A&M Student Zone 1 $7.30 $5.90 Zone 2 $5.70 $4.75 Zone 3 $4.55 $3.85 For Tickets & Info.: MSC Box Office 845-2916 STUDIO 2818 STUDIO 2818 STUDIO 2818 STUDIO O o D Formerly the Mansard House NOW 8 o 5 3 H </> 00 Cl 2.&1& TONIGHT *1 drink NIGHT AND DISCO DANCE CONTEST — NO COVER — HAPPY HOUR 5-7 DAILY (2 for 1) 1401 FM 2818 behind K-Mart in the Doux Chene Apts. 693-2200 DWI arrest records. “There are two totally different environments,” the College Station officer says. “College Station has more of a college atmosphere where students party and drink and raise hell. But we don’t have a wino situa tion. “That is not to say that Bryan has a bunch of winos. I just think that there are a lot less DWI elements from a college crowd than there are from an occupational force.” Newton says that the atmo spheres of the local drinking estab lishments also have something to do with the difference. “In our city, students drink, but the majority don’t go out to just drink,” he says. “They go out to drink and eat, or chase women or play pinball. “And there is always a big crowd, both at clubs and at parties, so everybody doesn’t get polluted real bad. They run out of beer before they can.” Newton says that he thinks the clientele of Bryan clubs go there mainly to drink. “I don’t think that we have DWI problem that bad,” Newton says. “But, of course, one DWI is bad. ” 3109 Texas Avenue Bryan, Texas 77801 79COff BL Chico- RESTAURANT Presents 79er DINER DAYS Chicorito A grande burrtto filled with beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Topped with our spe cial sauce and covered with Cheddar cheese. Mon.-Thurs. 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