Pennsylvania police say they received a call on a recent Monday evening that compelled them to position a patrol car near a certain exit on the highway. The caller reportedly told police that a vehicle on the road was weaving in and out of traffic, coming dangerously close to other vehicles and to the median. A patrol officer spotted the vehicle and pursued it, which ultimately led to a DUI arrest.
The police officer made a traffic stop, saying that he saw the vehicle in question travel up onto a median, then enter the oncoming lane of traffic. The driver allegedly told the law enforcement officer that he had consumed several beers before getting behind the wheel. The officer determined that there was a warrant out for the man’s arrest in connection with a prior incident, and he was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI.
Police gathered BAC information
Investigators say that the man’s blood alcohol content was much higher than the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle at the time of his recent arrest. They also stated that the man had traveled to Pennsylvania from Virginia. At last report, he was being held in Berks County Prison.
What a person says to police during a traffic stop can affect a criminal case
A person is not obligated to answer questions under interrogation after being detained by Pennsylvania police. If a person chooses to answer questions or makes statements during a traffic stop and later faces DUI charges in court, prosecutors may be entitled to use the individual’s prior statements at trial.