'Super Drunk' Cop, Fuzzy About Birthday Bash, Avoids Jail

A police officer charged under Michigan’s “super drunk” law after a one-vehicle crash ended his birthday celebration – which he admitted to police he couldn’t recall much about– avoided jail and probation with a plea deal Tuesday.

Bryan L. Stuck, 29, of Bronson, a police officer for the city of Sturgis in southwest Michigan, told crash investigators he had been out celebrating his birthday before crashing his pickup truck in the early morning hours of Oct. 26, 2014.

At the time, he told authorities he couldn’t remember where he had been drinking, what he had been drinking, how much he had been drinking or where he was going at the time of the crash, The Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive reports, citing police reports obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

“He stated that he had no memory of the accident nor any memory of driving. He stated he did not know where he was coming from nor where he was going to,” Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Boisonault said in the report. “I asked him if the pickup that was off the roadway on its side was his and he stated he was pretty sure that it was.”

Stuck’s blood-alcohol content at the time was .178 percent, more than twice Michigan’s legal limit of 0.08 percent, and his prosecution was elevated under the state’s enhanced “super drunk” law.

The law carries hefty penalties – fines of up to $700, up to six months in jail, loss of driving privileges for up to 45 days and restricted privileges for up to 320 days, and a year of alcohol abuse treatment – that Stuck was able to avoid by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

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Stuck made the plea before Kalamazoo County District Judge Richard A Santoni a day before he was scheduled to stand trial on one count each of operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.17 or higher and OWI. Santoni sentenced Stuck during the hearing, ordering him to pay $675 in fines, court costs and fees. He avoided both jail and probation. He could have spent up to 93 days in jail under the lower charge.

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Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Klein said several factors were considered before Stuck was offered a deal, including his BAC and criminal history, whether he showed signs of intoxication and his level of intoxication based on his driving, and his general cooperation with authorities.

Stuck kept his job with the Sturgis Police Department after signing a “last-chance” agreement that requires mandatory counseling. He was placed on paid leave after the accident and given a two-week unpaid suspension in November.

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