State Police Drunk Driving Patrols During St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Maryland State Police

STATE POLICE ARREST MORE THAN 100 DRUNK DRIVERS THROUGH WEEKEND

PIKESVILLE, MD) – State Police drunk driving patrols in every Maryland county during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend led to the arrests of more than 100 people who are suspected of driving under the influence.

From Friday, March 14th, through Monday, March 17th, Maryland state troopers arrested 120 drunk drivers during sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, and regular road patrols throughout the state. These efforts were in direct response to the known increase in drinking and driving resulting from holiday celebrations.

Troopers at the Berlin Barrack in Worcester County led the 22 State Police barracks with 17 DUI arrests, followed by the Golden Ring Barrack in Baltimore County with 13 arrests. The JFK Highway Barrack, where troopers patrol I-95 north of Baltimore and the Rockville Barrack in Montgomery County totaled 11 arrests each.

The full-time drunk driving enforcement team of troopers known as the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or S.P.I.D.R.E., also made 11 DUI arrests during the period. The S.P.I.D.R.E. Team is funded by a grant from the Maryland Highway Safety Office.

Troopers also dealt with situations that were reminders of why drinking and driving must remain an enforcement priority. On Saturday, troopers from the Frederick Barrack found a vehicle that had driving off Interstate 70 into the median. The driver was arrested for DUI, which troopers learned was her fifth DUI arrest in the past year. In Harford County early Sunday morning, troopers responded to a crash that occurred when a drunk driver ran into the back of another vehicle on Rt. 7. Also that morning, a trooper in Charles County spotted a car traveling south in the northbound lanes of Rt. 301. The trooper found the driver was under the influence and arrested him for DUI.

Last night, a trooper from the North East Barrack responded a single vehicle crash on Rt. 285 in Chesapeake City and arrested the driver for DUI. Just after midnight, troopers in Queen Anne’s Co. responded to a single vehicle crash on Rt. 8 at Matapeake Middle School. The driver was arrested for DUI.