The News Room [News Release]

Sheriff Contact: John Roach: 313-224-0615
Release Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Pre-St. Pat’s warrant sweep takes 112 Deadbeat Drunken Drivers off the road

When police officers rolled up to the Detroit home of Alan Tinsley to arrest him on a probation violation warrant stemming from his Operating While Intoxicated [OWI] – 2nd Offense conviction, they expected they might find him inside his house. What they didn’t expect was to find him behind the wheel of his car – drunk yet again – and pulling out of his driveway. Officers immediately stopped and arrested him after the personal breathalyzer test they administered on Tinsley showed his blood alcohol content at nearly .14, well over the state’s new legal limit of .08 percent.

According to Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, Tinsley, 40, fits the exact profile of people that his and a dozen other police departments are targeting this week as part of Operation LAST CALL, a Pre-St. Patrick’s Day sweep to round up individuals charged with drunken driving, but who fail to show for their court dates.

“These are the high-percentage offenders,” Evans said. “They have a history of drinking and driving, they refuse to receive their punishment and very likely are out still drinking and driving. It’s important we get as many of these ticking time bombs off the street before their luck runs out and they kill somebody.”

During the two-day multi-agency sweep, officers arrested 112 people on outstanding drunken driving warrants. Tinsley, whose vehicle also was towed under nuisance abatement laws, now faces charges of OWI 3rd Offense, which could bring a felony conviction. Other agencies participating in the sweep include Detroit, Livonia and other suburban departments.

According to Wayne County’s 3rd Circuit Court records, there are more than 7,000 offenders currently at large for a variety of drinking & driving offense, including: OUIL Third Offense; OUIL Serious Injury and OUIL Manslaughter. Those numbers are what led Evans to create a new unit in the sheriff’s office whose sole task it is to arrest these no-shows. Since the five-officer team became operational in late October 2003, it has arrested nearly 275 offenders, not including the current sweep.

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