Ferndale Police Arrest 2 Men for Felony Drunken Driving Over Weekend

Ferndale Police arrested eight people for drunken driving between Saturday and Tuesday morning, including two arrests for felony drunken driving.

According to Ferndale Police Lt. Bill Wilson, the weekend had an unusually high number of drunken-driving arrests.

“Eight in a couple of days like that is pretty high, especially when you've got a couple of them that are felonies,” he said. A typical weekend might see four drunken-driving arrests total, he said, and not often extreme cases like the two felony arrests.

The two men arrested for felony drunken driving – a five-year felony – had extremely high blood alcohol levels and extensive driving records, according to Wilson.

At 10:15 p.m. Monday, an officer stopped a T-Bird near Eight Mile and St. Louis for having an improper license plate. The driver – 39-year-old Kevin Jerome Spates of Detroit – was suspected of being intoxicated and arrested.

Breath tests showed Spates had a blood alcohol level of .34 and .35. He has 31 suspensions of his driver’s license for prior convictions for driving with a suspended license. He has two prior convictions for operating while impaired, police said.

At 12:05 a.m. Tuesday, an officer observed a minivan swerving on Woodward near Oakridge and stopped the vehicle. The driver – 50-year-old William Leonard Rhodes of Detroit – was found to be intoxicated and arrested.

He was given breath tests with results of .33. Rhodes has 16 current suspensions of his driver’s license and has five prior convictions for driving with a suspended license. He has three prior convictions for drunken driving.

Wilson said Rhodes and Spates were arraigned Tuesday at Ferndale's . Magistrate Patrick Brennan set bond at $25,000, he said.