THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412050023
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 149 lines
(Editor's note: Because of a production problem, the top of this story did not appear in most editions of Sunday's newspaper. We are reprinting the story today.)
One after another, suspects were ushered into the Batmobile. And while their captors wore no capes, they were on a crusade - against drunken driving.
This Batmobile is no cartoon fiction. It's the state police mobile Blood Alcohol Test (BAT) vehicle, an RV outfitted with breath-test machines. And it was used Friday night and early Saturday to help nab 15 drunken drivers in five hours at the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway toll plaza.
About 20 officers, nine from the state and 11 from the city, worked the checkpoint from 10 p.m. to 3a.m.
They issued 80 citations to about 50 drivers for everything from drunken driving to having stolen inspection stickers.
The joint operation was part of the holiday season war on drunken driving. And even some who faced the machines were grateful for the effort.
``Too many people are driving drunk,'' said Don Page, 45, of Virginia Beach moments after he had been released.
His blood-alcohol test had come in at ``something like,'' he said - just a whisker below the legal limit of 0.08.
``I had two drinks. I thought that wasn't bad,'' said Page, who gave his name because he said he believes in what police are doing. ``Hopefully, it will keep down the death on the highways.''
Page said he was ``nervous'' as he was tested but didn't believe he had had too much to drink.
``I thought it was three or four drinks before you were too much,'' he said. ``I found out different real quick.''
He went home with a stern lecture - and, he said, a new respect for what even a social drink can do.
He wasn't alone. Time and again drivers who appeared to be intoxicated or who acted suspiciously were ushered to the side of the road.
The drill varied little as each was given a field sobriety test: ``Follow my pen with your eyes, only don't move your head. . . . Stand on one leg and count 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, until I tell you to stop. . . . Walk toe-to-heel for nine steps, then turn and come back. . . .''
Many passed and were sent on their way. Others didn't fare as well.
One 24-year-old, told to extend his arms and then bring an index finger to the tip of his nose, instead poked his finger in his eye. Another man, told to count while standing on one leg, counted thusly: ``1,009, 1,020, 1,012.''
A driver who had arrived at the toll plaza with a half-empty bottle of beer within arm's reach, was told to recite the alphabet to the letter ``S'' - he didn't stop until ``X.''
Like others, his next stop was the seat of a patrol car and a preliminary breath test.
Despite chewing a wad of gum with a vengeance, he was unable to trick the machine.
``What's it say? Read me the numbers,'' an officer insisted. The man struggled to read the small, red numbers - and to keep up as the amount rose. ``0.95 . . . 1.02 . . . 1.09 . . .''
Another driver couldn't read the numbers.
But when asked what the meter said, he had the right answer: ``That I've had too much.''
His count was more than twice the legal limit.
It didn't help matters that in the process of pulling off the road, he ran his car up against Trooper T.R. Taylor.
``He knocked my flashlight out of my hand and my radio off my belt,'' Taylor said.
Drivers who failed the preliminary breath test visited the Batmobile for a precise and legally admissible test of their blood-alcohol count.
While it's not unusual to see numbers near 2.0, this night was notable for low numbers. That pleased state police Sgt. Rick Walker.
``It's encouraging that officers are detecting that low BAC,'' he said. ``This time of year, you deal a lot more with social drinkers who are not used to drinking. They are the dangerous ones.''
A 20-year-old from Ohio, who gave his name as David, was among those who failed the test.
``I knew I was intoxicated,'' he said.
``But one of my buddies got in trouble and we had to leave'' the party they were attending at the Dam Neck Fleet Combat Training Center. Now, he regretted that decision.
``Even if it would have made them mad, I should have said no. I messed up.''
The Virginia Beach officer who arrested him agreed, but added: ``You can make a mistake as long as you don't make the same mistake twice. At least you didn't hurt anyone tonight.''
Some drivers opted to hit the gas rather than stop at the checkpoint. State police had chase cars waiting.
One man halted only after his pickup was boxed in by a ``rolling roadblock'' on Independence Boulevard.
The driver's explanation left troopers shaking their heads.
``He said he just wanted to see to it that the kids got home safely,'' Trooper Taylor said. ``He comes down the road like a bat out of hell and he says to us, `Don't hurt my kids.' ''
Police said the man was accompanied by his wife and two children, one about 7 years old, the other about 12.
The man, John T. Burns, 34, of Virginia Beach, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony child neglect.
Among other charges against him were driving with a suspended driver's license, having a stolen license plate, attempting to elude police and reckless driving.
Another man, Michael O'Brien, 26, of Virginia Beach, also was charged with child endangerment when he was arrested for drunken driving, police said.
Some people tried to avoid going through the checkpoint. But police had cars on the lookout for them. One car that pulled off the highway ahead of the toll plaza yielded a drug bust. John E. White, 24, of Chesapeake, was charged with possession.
Police said they found $1,100 of cocaine in his vehicle.
Initially, there were more officers than cars at the toll plaza. In some lanes, people found themselves greeted by a badge more than once.
``What are we doing?'' asked a Virginia Beach officer when he noticed the overlap. ``Checking them twice, making sure whether they've been naughty or nice?''
It wasn't long, however, before officers were busy writing tickets.
At times, more than a half-dozen cars lined the breakdown lane and more were in the parking area of the toll plaza nearby. A line of people waited to use two pay phones to call for rides.
The only common link among those stopped was that they appeared to have been drinking. There were well-dressed, middle-aged couples in BMWs and Cadillacs and long-haired young folks in ratty jeans and rattier cars.
Some cars pulled in packed with drunken partiers. But they were soon on their way, thanks to a critical element: a sober, designated driver.
``That's great,'' Virginia Beach police Sgt. Marie Chiarizia said. ``That's what we like to see. MEMO: SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT
A five-hour sobriety checkpoint mounted by Virginia Beach and State
Police at the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway toll plaza resulted in
80 charges Friday night and early Saturday.
Drunken driving 15
Felony, drug possession 4
Felony, habitual offender 1
Felony, child endangerment 3
Misdemeanor, drug possession 3
Other misdemeanor charges 5
Suspended drivers license 8
Reckless driving 3
Other motor vehicle charges 38
The next sobriety stops in southeast Virginia will be Saturday and on
Dec. 16 on State Route 33 in Middlesex County. There will be others in
Hampton Roads between Christmas and the new year. Local police will
mount their own checkpoints, and are not announcing them in advance.
- Steve Stone
KEYWORDS: DRUNKEN DRIVING by CNB