TROY (WWJ) - An Auburn Hills man is behind bars after police say he was caught driving drunk on a closed section of I-75 over the weekend.
Troy police officers responded to northbound I-75 near the Rochester Road exit, just after 12 a.m. Saturday, on reports of a silver 2009 Jeep Compass spotted on a stretch of freeway that was shut down for construction.
Police said construction workers directed the driver off the freeway where he was met by police, who discovered there was a small child back seat. The sleeping 4-year-old boy was not in a car seat and wasn't wearing a seatbelt, police said.
When questioned, police said the 29-year-old man admitted that he didn't have a valid driver's license.
The officer said he noticed an odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, and also smelled alcohol on the driver whom. After police said the man failed field sobriety tests, he submitted to a breathalyzer that read .164% BAC — which is more than twice the legal limit in Michigan.
The driver was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (OWI) - first offense, driving with license expired, no license on person and child endangerment.
The child, who was unharmed, was taken to a police station by other officers and turned over into the custody of his grandmother.
The driver's name is being withheld as he awaits an arraignment on the charges.
