# Drunk Santa wanted to know where his reindeer at



## Bill Mattocks (Dec 14, 2009)

And no, I do not think DUI is funny.   But the story is, just a bit:

http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=11673013


> A man dressed as Santa Claus is arrested in Sparta after allegedly driving drunk and asking children where he parked his reindeer.


----------



## Xue Sheng (Dec 14, 2009)

Looks like Christmas may be a little late this year


----------



## MA-Caver (Dec 14, 2009)

Well the story WAS funny to read until these lines came up... 


> Officers found the vehicle driving erratically and pulled it over. They found 47-year-old Kevin Arnold of Sparta *at the wheel, drinking an alcoholic beverage.*
> Arnold was cited for having* open intoxicants in the vehicle and **released at the scene.*



Around where I live you get busted on open beverage and being under the influence and then LET GO is unheard of. 
He should've been hauled in and left to dry out and his license suspended. 
Wrong wrong wrong to be released under that condition.


----------



## jks9199 (Dec 14, 2009)

MA-Caver said:


> Well the story WAS funny to read until these lines came up...
> 
> 
> Around where I live you get busted on open beverage and being under the influence and then LET GO is unheard of.
> ...


If they were unable to demonstrate that he his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit, they may not have been able to arrest him.  Under Virginia law, for example, I cannot arrest a person for having an open container in a car; I can only cite them and release them at the scene unless the circumstances meet some specific exceptions.  I would certainly have administered field sobriety tests -- but if they didn't demonstrate impairment, there would have been no custodial arrest.


----------



## Bill Mattocks (Dec 14, 2009)

jks9199 said:


> I would certainly have administered field sobriety tests -- but if they didn't demonstrate impairment, there would have been no custodial arrest.



You could always administer the old invisible quarter field sobriety test...


----------

