Bloomfield Township Police Arrest Driver with High Alcohol Content

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI — A Newport man had a blood alcohol content of .23 percent — nearly four times the threshold for drunken driving in Michigan — when he was arrested Aug. 19, the Bloomfield Township Police Department said in a news release.

Michael Gardner, 45, failed several sobriety tests and was unable to say his alphabet, count, stand on one leg or walk a straight line, according to the release.

He was arrested about 9:50 p.m. after police received a call of a possible drunk driver who was driving erratically on Telegraph Road near Long Lake Road. When officers caught up with the vehicle, Gardner was allegedly swerving across lane markers, accelerating aggressively and following too closely. He struck the base of a construction barrel when police made the stop, according to the release.

Gardner admitted he had consumed four beers and that he had a pistol in the car, which he has a permit to carry, police said. A search of the vehicle revealed a .40 caliber pistol, and police arrested him on charges of drunken diving and carrying a pistol while intoxicated.

He was arraigned Wednesday in 48th District Court before Judge Marc Barron, and the Oakland County gun board is reviewing the case for possible suspension of his license to carry a concealed pistol, according to the release.

Image via Bloomfield Township Police