Thirty arrests made at weekend sobriety check
Assistant fire chief arrested for DWIs at the checkpoint.
Published Oct. 31, 2006
Seven MU students were arrested at a sobriety check this past weekend on Grindstone Parkway near Grindstone Plaza. Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Curry, of the Boone County Fire Protection District, was also arrested, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
The sobriety check was facilitated through a partnership with the Boone County Sheriff's Department, the Columbia Police Department and the Mid-Missouri Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said Boone County Sheriff Sgt. Scott Ewing.
During the sobriety check, police pulled over 822 vehicles. Officers made 30 arrests, 18 of which were charges for driving while intoxicated.
Eight individuals were cited with minor in possession violations and were either taken into custody and made to post bonds or issued summons, Ewing said.
"They pretty much had traffic backed up and had cops that came to your window and asked you to step out of your car," said MU senior Brett Knowlton, who received a DWI citation during the sobriety check. "If you pass the tests, I guess you're on your way. If you don't, they handcuff you and take you to jail. I was taken to jail."
According to Fire Protection District Capt. Gale Blomenkamp, Curry also received a DWI. Curry will receive no repercussions with her employer based on her Friday morning arrest.
"She was not representing the fire district," Blomenkamp said. "She was not in a fire department vehicle, so there is really nothing for us to say."
The sobriety check was conducted primarily through the efforts of the Boone County Sheriff's Department.
"We had officers who worked the event with them and assisted in making the checks," Columbia Police Department Chief Randy Boehm said.
MADD's role was to support the law enforcement officers by providing food and drinks, so the workers were able to take breaks as necessary.
Columbia police and Boone County Sheriff's Department had their first joint sobriety check in April. This weekend's sobriety check occurred because of the success of their initial effort.
"What we try to do is work together in the area because two agencies working together is better than one working on its own," Ewing said.
The location was chosen because of the recent accidents on Grindstone Parkway. The date was selected because it was prior to cold weather, and there are multiple parties the week before Halloween, Ewing said.
Knowlton said that though he is personally inconvenienced by sobriety checkpoints, he sees that they could be useful if an individual is out of control.
Kidwell stressed that MADD's mission statement is to "stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and to prevent underage drinking."
"Bottom line, aside from all of the other things that happen because of underage drinking, it is against the law," she said. "You drink, you drive, you're going to be arrested if you are caught."