Eureka Police arrested a 33-year-old Virginia man for suspicion of driving while intoxicated after an officer allegedly saw the man driving erratically in a 2013 Ford F-150, police reported.
An officer at about 11:40 p.m. July 3 saw the man driving a pickup that was stopped at a red light at the intersection of East Fourth Street and Hwy. 109. When the light turned green, the man paused for a long time before turning onto the highway, and the officer allegedly saw the man swerve on Hwy. 109, the report said.
The officer followed the man onto eastbound I-44, where the man allegedly continued to swerve while driving. The officer turned on his vehicle’s emergency lights, and the man continued to drive on the interstate before exiting on Lewis Road, where he allegedly stopped in the roadway, according to the report.
The man allegedly appeared to be intoxicated, and he told the officer he was attempting to get to a home on Lewis Road. The man also allegedly said he drank a beer during dinner and refused to perform field sobriety tests, the report said.
After the man was arrested, the officer allegedly found several empty small bottles of whiskey, an open beer can and an unopened case of beer in the pickup, according to the report.
The man was taken to the Police Station, where he was booked. He also allegedly told officers he had recently started talking to a counselor about a drinking problem, the report said.
The man was released to a sober driver with summonses to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for alleged DWI, improper lane use and driving without insurance, Lt. Brett Grittini said.