Kate Ryan, wtop.com
WASHINGTON — “I’m not that drunk.”
Montgomery County Police Capt. Thomas Didone says officers heard that over and over again from drivers caught driving under the influence from mid-November through Jan. 1.
Didone says there were 3,400 traffic stops during the holiday task force enforcement period, and 317 people were arrested for driving under the influence.
Underage drinking continues to be a serious problem. Didone says police responded to complaints of 23 alcohol-related parties, and issued 309 alcohol citations. Police confiscated alcohol from those parties, including 270 gallons of beer — the equivalent of 300 12-packs– and 40 gallons of liquor, which is roughly 200 bottles of booze.
Didone says it’s clear the message is not getting through to many people that underage drinking in particular is dangerous, even deadly.
Last May, three young people were killed on an Olney roadway a single vehicle crash. The driver and occupants, all underage, had attended a number of parties where alcohol had been served. The driver, 20-year-old Kevin Coffay, was sentenced to 40 years in that case.
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