Police Blotter: Holiday Drunken Driving Arrests, Party Host Cited

 reports from Dec. 27-Jan. 2 included 69 alarms, 26 crashes and 21 arrests. Among the highlights:

5 impaired drivers arrested over holiday period

Additional officers targeting impaired drivers over the holiday season directly resulted in five arrests Dec. 23-Jan. 2, including three on Dec. 31, according to West Bloomfield Police Department Lt. Tim Diamond.

"That's probably the norm for the holiday season," Diamond said of the  funded with federal traffic safety grants administered by the Office of Highway Safety Planning. Extra patrols were in place in 26 counties in Michigan, including Oakland County.

"I think we don't have more (arrests) because it's advertised heavily. People are more careful during the holiday season. Unfortunately, we know that this is a problem that persists all year round."

Diamond urges residents to call the police if they see a driver who appears to be intoxicated.

Host given citation at New Year's Eve party

A 54-year-old West Bloomfield woman was given a misdemeanor citation after West Bloomfield officers broke up a large party at her house on the 6900 block of Lakemont Circle shortly after midnight Jan. 1 in which underage drinkers were found, Diamond said.

The woman told police she had told her daughter it would be fine to have a party at her house, in order to supervise activities, Diamond said. However, the host claimed that acquaintances of her daughter came over from another party with alcohol. Police were called to respond to a complaint of underage drinking at the woman's house, Diamond said.

"If you're over 18 and you're hosting a party in which drinking is going on, you will get a written citation," Diamond said.

Cars packed with teenagers fled the party as soon as police arrived, Diamond said, but officers did apprehend a 17-year-old who was driving in possession of alcohol. He was given a minor in possession citation, while four acquaintances in the car with him who were all from the Wixom and Walled Lake area were transported home, Diamond said.

Open liquor bottles found in trunk

Officers gave a 18-year-old West Bloomfield resident a minor in possession citation around 3:45 a.m. Jan. 1 after finding open liquor and beer bottles in the trunk of his vehicle.

The driver, who was stopped for a traffic citation near Temple Shir Shalom and not given a preliminary breath test, smelled of intoxicants and marijuana, Diamond said. The driver was pulled from the vehicle for officers to speak with him while four friends remainded inside.

Over the course of the discussion, Diamond said, the man complained of cold weather and asked to retrieve his jacket from the trunk of the vehicle. When he opened his trunk, officers saw the bottles in plain sight.

The passengers were not cited or tested. Instead, all were transported to the address where they were staying for the night.