Farmington Hills Man Faces Drunken Driving Charge After 3-Car Accident

A 32-year-old Farmington Hills man faces a charge of drunken driving, after a traffic accident at Folsom and Ruth on Monday evening.

According to a Farmington Hills Police report, the man's blood alcohol level was .29, more than three times the .08 legal limit.

Police on patrol at around 6:45 p.m. watched as the man's SUV sped past them at a high rate of speed and rear-ended a minivan, causing a three-car accident. The report indicated that dispatchers advised the officers that a witness had called in a report of a possible intoxicated driver shortly before the accident. 

While speaking with the driver, police noticed a strong odor of alcohol. The driver failed field sobriety tests and refused a preliminary breath test (PBT), so he was taken into custody. 

Police spoke with the witness, a Livonia Fire official, who reported seeing the driver weaving in his lane and traveling between 65 and 68 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone.

The report indicated that the driver submitted a breath test while at the police station. In addition to the drunken driving charge, he was ticketed for PBT refusal and having no proof of insurance. 

• A 33-year-old Centerline man faces a charge of drunken driving, after police stopped his vehicle for driving the wrong way on Orchard Lake Road near 12 Mile, at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday. According to the report, police noticed a strong odor of intoxicants while talking with the driver, who thought he was in New Haven (more than 40 miles east of Farmington Hills). The report indicated the man had a prior drunken driving conviction. A preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol level was .19, more than twice the .08 legal limit.