TC Man Arrested For Third DWI

A 52-year-old Traverse City man was arrested for felony operating while intoxicated (OWI) this weekend in Kasson Township, his third drunk driving offense.

A Leelanau County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched at 5:45pm Saturday to investigate a reported vehicle in a ditch near Trumbull and Tremain roads. When the deputy arrived, he found a tow truck driver at the scene but no sign of the vehicle. The truck driver told the deputy he had helped tow a 2004 GMC Envoy out of the ditch, and that the Envoy's driver then left the area. The truck driver suspect the Envoy owner had been drinking.

The deputy proceeded to search for the vehicle and located the Envoy at the intersection of Burdickville and Tremain roads. After he saw the driver operating improperly, he pulled the man over. The deputy determined the driver - who also had his 16-year-old son in the car with him - was intoxicated. The man is currently on Circuit Court probation and has an extensive criminal history; he previously pleaded guilty to OWI second offense in 2009 in Traverse City. The man was arrested and lodged in Leelanau County Jail on a charge of felony third offense OWI.