A 25-year-old Montana man has been arrested for driving under the influence after he drove himself to a sheriff's office to pay a previous fine while intoxicated, authorities have said.
The man, who has not been identified, was waiting for assistance at the Granite County Courthouse and Sheriff's Office when Sheriff Rico Barkell noticed he appeared to be under the influence, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office.
Barkell asked the man to step outside and enquired whether he had driven to the office, to which he replied that he had. When asked how much he had consumed that day, the man said he had drunk two alcoholic beverages and smoked two bowls of marijuana. A preliminary breath test, however, showed a reading three times the legal driving limit.
Authorities also discovered an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. The man was subsequently charged with aggravated DUI and possession of an open container. The sheriff said the man had driven to the office to pay a fine for an open container offence from several weeks earlier.
It is not yet clear when the incident occurred or whether the man remains in custody. In the Facebook post, Sheriff Barkell issued a public safety warning: “If you drive to the Sheriff’s Office intoxicated (alcohol or drugs), you will be arrested for DUI. … Stupidity is not an excuse!”
