Butch Deals With Drunk Drivers

  During the years I served as a deputy sheriff, I worked the night shift the majority of time. Even after being elected sheriff, I decided to work the road and patrol on the night shift, in addition to all of my administrative duties. Why? Well, I enjoyed being on patrol, and many crimes occur at night. Most sheriffs today have so many other duties that they cannot work the road.

  One of the most common things that I witnessed at night were drunk drivers. When I observed erratic driving behavior, I pulled the driver over and observed for signs of intoxication . . . slurred or irrational speech . . . bloodshot, glassy, or watery eyes . . . difficulty concentrating . . . poor motor skills . . . mood swings, sadness, anger, or exaggerated friendliness . . . disheveled clothing . . . and the smell of alcohol on their breath. With a field sobriety test, I had the person try to complete simple tasks such as walking a straight line, closing their eyes and touching their fingers to their nose, counting back from 100, etc. If they also stumbled, swayed and couldn’t maintain their balance, it was an almost sure sign that they had too much to drink.

   Now what? If the driver was severely intoxicated, I couldn’t just let him go on his way. The driver could injure others or himself on down the road. Many departments have strict policies that require an arrest for DUI. Failing to do so could result in liability for the officer and department. However, most departments also allow officers to use a certain amount of discretion based on situational factors. If the driver’s impairment was borderline and they were not argumentative, there were a few times when I parked their car, took their keys, and gave them a ride home . . . making sure someone else was there to keep an eye on them. There were times that I was so busy, perhaps being the only one on duty in the entire county, that I allowed a friend of the driver, someone I trusted 100 percent, to take him home. If the driver had not even left the parking lot, that is another example of perhaps not making a DUI arrest.

   If the driver failed the sobriety tests rather badly, I always asked him how many beers he had consumed. And 99 percent of the time, they answered, “Just a couple.” I knew that was a lie. I always hoped for an honest answer. Late one night, I came across a car parked on a bridge. The driver had his pants down around his ankles, and was standing at the edge, urinating into the creek. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was three sheets to the wind. “How many beers have you had?” He looked me in the eyes . . . smiled, “Well, officer, I ain’t gonna lie. I had six beers.” An honest drunk. He was only a mile from his home. I parked his car, gave him a ride, and handed the keys over to his wife, who gave him a good piece of her mind.

   I pulled over a 17-year-old boy one night who had been drinking, but was not intoxicated. He had been a student of mine when I taught junior high. I knew his family quite well. His father was very strict. When I told the boy I was going to park his car and take him home, he begged for me to take him to jail instead. I called his father to let him know the situation. When I arrived at their house, his father was waiting at the door, grabbed the boy by the seat of his pants, and hustled him inside. I almost felt sorry for that kid, but I knew his drinking days were over.

   If the driver was drunk and had caused an accident, of course I had no choice. One night when this happened, the driver turned out to be a police officer on another department. He flat out told me he was drunk, and he knew what I had to do. I felt bad about the situation because he was an outstanding officer, but he had partied too much that night and totaled his car. He eventually pleaded guilty, served jail time, was fined and lost his license for six months. After a departmental hearing, he was suspended without pay and demoted. He apologized to me and his fellow officers, but never held a grudge against me.

  One night I found a car floating in a small creek. I shined my spotlight toward the car and saw a woman sitting inside. When she got out and waded to the creek bank, I immediately knew she was drunk. The woman was a doctor intern who had just worked the night shift. A patient who she had been treating had died that evening. She had gone to a bar after work to drown her sorrow, and then lost her way back home . . . her car ending up in the creek. No damage to the vehicle, and I called a wrecker to remove the car and tow it away. I did not have the heart to arrest the woman and possibly ruin her career, so I took her to the department and called for her sister to come pick her up . . . an example of officer discretion.

   Many cases like these revolved around the attitude and behavior of the intoxicated person. Drunks who lied, cursed, argued, fought or took off running ended up in jail. If a drunk was honest and cooperated, they at least had a chance of a better outcome. If I took a person home, and they ended up getting caught again . . . too bad . . . they got to visit the crossbar motel . . . no second chances. I covered quite a few fatalities while working the night shift, many caused by drunk driving. Horrific wrecks and gruesome scenes. The worst part? Delivering the news to the families of the deceased. Many years later, those memories are still lodged in my mind.

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 37 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.