POLICE BLOTTER 1/17/13

Driving Under The Influence

On Jan. 13 around 6 p.m., a local black male, 49, was arrested for driving under the influence. He was pulled over by a reporting officer at the intersection of Alumni Dr. and Cherry Rd. after driving off the road in his black Silverado truck, a police report said.

An odor of alcohol was strong on the subject, and when the officer asked what he had been up to he insisted he was picking up his son from the skate park and had missed his turn.

The officer then conducted field sobriety tests on the subject. According to the police report,  he failed each one.

The officer went to the vehicle where he discovered a cup containing brown liquor. The subject was immediately placed under arrest and transported to the Rock Hill City Jail. When they arrived at the  jail the subject uttered he had screwed up, but he refused to undergo a breathalyzer test.

He is scheduled to make an appearance in court early next month, the report said.

Driving Under The Influence

Consumption of Liquor Under 21 

Open Container

Two Winthrop students were arrested last week, one for driving under the influence and having an open container, the other for underage drinking. According to a police report,  both offenders were African-American males.

The black Ford Bronco they were in had been pulled over for driving onto the sidewalk and through a front yard on Ebenezer Ave.  to get around a parked police car.

While the reporting officer spoke to the male subject who was driving the vehicle he became aware of an alcoholic odor coming from the subject, as well as his bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. According to the report, the driver, 25, advised he had drank a little bit earlier that day.

The driver was instructed to exit the vehicle at which point he was then given field sobriety tests. The subject failed each test that had been conducted and was placed under arrest, the report said.

The officer then made contact with the passenger and noted that the male was 18-years-old and intoxicated. When asked to exit the vehicle, the younger subject refused, resulting in the officer forcing him from the car. The report said the younger male was then placed under arrest for consuming alcohol under 21.

While the car was in the process of being towed, an open bottle of brandy liquor was found under the driver’s seat, placing another charge on the older male, the report said.

At the city jail, the older male suspect underwent a breathalyzer test, but after three “incomplete” readings, the officer declared that the subject was attempting to manipulate the machine.

The driver’s license was immediately suspended, the report said.

Both students are in line of being referred to the Winthrop Judiciary Committee.

Larceny of Bicycle ($1999 of Less)

A Winthrop Bait Bike was reported stolen from Johnson Hall around 4:11 a.m Tuesday morning, according to a police report. Dispatch advised that the bicycle was stationary at McDonald’s on S. Cherry Rd.

A reporting officer located the bike in an enclosed dumpster area. According to the police report, the officer briefly left the parking lot, keeping the bicycle in sight and observed the subject, a McDonald’s employee, go into the dumpster area.

The officer made contact with the subject, a 41-year-old non-student, and asked if he had rode the bicycle to work. The subject advised that he found the bicycle near Winthrop and rode it to work.

The reporting officer placed the subject under arrest for Larceny of Bicycle ($1999 or Less). He was then transported to Rock Hill City Jail, the report said.

Compiled by Kendra Wicker