Pinellas Deputies To Conduct Joint Sobriety Checkpoint This Weekend

The following are the results of this weekend’s DUI Checkpoint:

8 DUI’s

5 DWLSR (Driving While License Suspended/Revoked)

2 NO VALID DL

1 POSESSION OF ALPRAZOLAM

4 POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

1 POSSESSION OF VYVANSE

1 POSSESSION WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION

1 VIOLATION OF DL RESTRICTION

1 PROVIDING FALSE NAME TO LEO

1 POSSESSION OF CRYSTAL METH

1 REFUSAL TO OBEY LAWFUL COMMAND

1 FELONY VOP WARRANT

1 POSSESSION OF DRUG PARARPHERNALIA

19 subjects arrested

12 vehicles impounded

27 CITATIONS

Average Intrusion Time 2 minutes 21 seconds

Who: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office -Patrol Operations Bureau -Prisoner Transport Unit -Traffic Crash Investigators -Community Policing Unit -Sheriff’s Citizen Patrol -Explorer Post 900 -Narcotics Division -Support Services Bureau

Probation and Parole RID (Remove Intoxicated Drivers)

Clearwater Police Department

What: In an effort to reduce DUI related injuries, the Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Clearwater Police Department, will conduct a sobriety checkpoint this weekend.

Where: The checkpoint will be held at Clearwater High School, 540 S. Hercules Avenue, Clearwater. The Sheriff’s Office will be diverting eastbound traffic from SR60/Gulf to Bay Blvd.

When: The checkpoint will be held beginning at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2013 until 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2013.

How/Why: In an effort to reduce DUI related injuries, deputies will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Pinellas County. The sobriety checkpoints will be conducted once a month at various locations throughout the county.

Pinellas County deputies will conduct this month’s DUI Checkpoint at Clearwater High School in Clearwater from late Friday into early Saturday morning.

At the checkpoint, Patrol, Community Policing and Narcotics deputies will be on the lookout for alcohol and drug impaired drivers. Members of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Crash Investigations Unit, the Sheriff’s Citizen Patrol and Explorer Post 900 will assist with non-enforcement related tasks. Along with impaired drivers, deputies will be looking for driver license, registration, insurance, and equipment violations. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Command Bus will be used for breath testing and the processing of arrested individuals.

This Friday’s checkpoint is dedicated to Steven Thillard. On October 10, 2006, 23-year-old Steven was a passenger in a vehicle that was being driven by 24-year-old Matthew Ferguson. Matthew traveled into oncoming traffic in the area of Ridge Road and 8^th Avenue in Largo, causing a head on collision. Steven suffered severe head trauma and had several brain surgeries as a result. Matthew was impaired at the time of the accident.

For more information about the sobriety checkpoints, contact Captain Paul Halle of the Special Operations Division at 727-582-6200 or the Sheriff’s Public Information Office at 582-6221.