By Jim Newell
Review Editor
ORION TWP. — A 56-year-old Lake Orion man who was allegedly driving while intoxicated and caused a head-on collision was arrested for felony Operating While Intoxicated, his third offense, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office stated.
The sheriff’s office said this was the man’s third OWI offense.
An Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy on routine patrol on Jan. 26 and discovered a two-vehicle crash on Baldwin Road near Mill Creek Drive, which is across from Orion Oaks Park.
The deputy requested the assistance of the Orion Township Fire Department to assess injuries to the crash victims.
An investigation revealed that the Lake Orion man drove his vehicle left of the center line into oncoming traffic and caused the head-on crash.
The Lake Orion man appeared to be visibly intoxicated. He was unstable on his feet, smelled of alcohol and was slurring his speech, according to a sheriff’s office incident report.
Deputies discovered open alcohol in the suspect’s vehicle during an inspection. The man was unable to complete sobriety tests as instructed and refused a preliminary breath test, the report stated.
The man was transported to McLaren Hospital for further medical treatment and deputies got a warrant for a blood sample and are awaiting a laboratory analysis.
A Law Enforcement Information Network database check revealed the suspect has two prior convictions for Operating While Intoxicated.