20070105 State Police Superintendent Stops Drunk Driver

Maryland State Police Superintendent Tim Hutchins Stops Drunk Driver

The Maryland State Police Superintendent, (Command Sergeant Major, 29th Infantry Division Aviation Brigade, Maryland Army National Guard, 1968-2004; a retired Maryland State Trooper; former Barrack Commander and graduate of the Maryland State Police Academy,) is certainly no stranger to rolling up his sleeves and getting it done himself:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 5, 2007

STATE POLICE SUPERINTENDENT STOPS DRUNK DRIVER AFTER CITIZEN REPORTS ERRATIC DRIVING

(Brandywine, MD) The Superintendent of the Maryland State Police stopped a suspected drunk driver Friday afternoon in Prince George’s County after a motorist made a #77 call to report erratic driving.

A concerned motorist saw the driver of a tan Ford Ranger weaving and dialed #77. The motorist was connected to the Forestville Barrack and the duty officer broadcast a lookout to all troopers in the area. Colonel Thomas E. “Tim” Hutchins, Secretary of the Maryland Department of State Police heard the original look-out, continued to monitor the updated locations and was able to locate the vehicle as it was driving on westbound Accokeek Road west of Maryland Route 5 in Brandywine, Maryland.

After observing the driver of the Ford Ranger commit a number of traffic violations, Colonel Hutchins conducted a traffic stop as other troopers converged on the area. Following the driver’s inability to perform a series of standardized field sobriety tests, he was arrested and transported to the Forestville Barrack for processing. The driver, identified as Jeremy Michael Plemons, 25, of Nanjemoy, was charged with Driving Under the Influence and other traffic citations.

Troopers encourage motorists to immediately contact law enforcement by dialing 9-1-1 or #77 when they observe dangerous driving behavior or suspect a motorist is driving impaired. Since impaired drivers are often involved in motor vehicle collisions, the call made to law enforcement could save a life. And when a call is made to the State Police for a trooper to respond, the responding trooper could very well be the Superintendent himself.

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