SAFFORD – Early last Saturday morning, around 1:30 am, an officer on patrol passed by a vehicle on Highway 70 which had it’s high beams on that affected the officer’s vision due to the extreme brightness.
A traffic stop was initiated and when the officer made contact with the driver who also had 3 other passengers with him, a strong odor of an alcoholic type beverage immediately began emitting from inside of the vehicle. The driver identified himself, and stated that he did not have a valid license. The man was unable to provide any form of identification, however, the officer was able to I.D. the man by a DMV photograph that confirmed the man did not have a license. When asked what he felt his level of intoxication was, it is reported the man stated that he felt he was a 1. After performing sobriety test’s, the officer administered a portable breath test. After several attempts, what the officer felt were deliberate acts to attempt to cause the test to fail, the man was instructed he would have one final opportunity to complete the test, where it then registered at a 0.125. The man was placed under arrest for DUI and secured into handcuffs. He was then transported to the Safford Police Department for a blood draw and then was released from custody. The officer provided the man a ride to an address of his choosing.
