Five arrested for drunken driving during checkpoint
The checkpoint was held over Halloween weekend.
Published Nov. 2, 2010
The Boone County Sheriff’s Department arrested five people for driving while intoxicated during a Halloween weekend sobriety checkpoint.
Between 11:50 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday morning, members of the sheriff’s department conducted a checkpoint at Highway 763 and East Brown School Road, Deputy Nikki Antimi said.
“The Boone County Sheriff’s Department put it on,” Antimi said. “A couple of officers from the Columbia Police Department and the Hallsville Police Department came to help.”
According to a news release, this checkpoint was multi-jurisdictional. The sheriff’s department chooses locations for checkpoints based on statistics of where driving while intoxicated arrests and alcohol-related crashes frequently occur.
“We are trying to deter driving while intoxicated whether that be not driving at all or finding designated drivers,” Antimi said.
Officers made five misdemeanor arrests for driving while intoxicated, Antimi said.
“We had five arrests for adult liquor law violations, which involves minors in possession of alcohol either by actual physical possession or by consumption,” Antimi said.
Other charges for the evening included seven arrests for driving with a suspended or revoked license, three arrests for operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license, one arrest for possession of marijuana and one ticket for a child restraint violation.
These results are comparable to the last sobriety checkpoint held in September on Prathersville Road, Antimi said. That checkpoint also had five alcohol-related DWIs as well as one drug-related DWI.
“We got about the same amount of DWIs, but, on this check we ended up with more license violations,” Antimi said.
Sobriety checks are typically held once a month, Antimi said. However, in the busier months, such as summer, the sheriff’s department might hold two.
“Mostly we are just trying to keep our roadways safe, lower the accident numbers and make sure everybody gets home safely at night,” Antimi said.
The deputy said MU students should utilize other options if they are thinking about driving while intoxicated.
“Call a taxi, call STRIPES," Antimi said. "With the students, I really hope they would take advantage of some of the programs MU has on campus. I think STRIPES is a good program.”