Trucker accused of driving drunk in Monroe County
2/8/2013MONROE - A 42-year-old truck driver is in the Monroe County jail, accused of starting a cross-country trip Thursday evening with a blood-alcohol content more than 10 times the legal limit for commercial drivers.
At about 6:45 p.m., Monroe County dispatch broadcast a report of a semi tractor driver who "smelled like alcohol" at the TA Travel Center on North Dixie Highway near I-75 in Frenchtown Township.
Minutes later, authorities found the driver filling his rig with fuel at the truck stop. He was arrested by Michigan State Police and taken to the Monroe County jail where a breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.23 percent, according to the Michigan State Police. The legal limit for commercial drivers in Michigan is 0.02, significantly lower than the 0.08 limit for passenger-vehicle drivers.
State police said officers will submit charges to the Monroe County prosecutor's office. The truck was impounded and the transportation firm advised of the circumstances.