HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Macomb County man got “super drunk” before driving to court for a hearing related to a charge for driving drunk, according to officials.
James Gird, 57, of Harrison Township, was due in court Thursday for an operating while intoxicated charge from Dec. 30, police said.
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During the hearing, Magistrate James A. Verploeg noticed Gird was having trouble carrying on a conversation and couldn’t speak without slurring, authorities said.
Verploeg requested testing, and Gird failed the standard field sobriety tests, according to police. Officials said he had a blood alcohol content of almost four times the legal limit, which qualifies as “super drunk.”
Gird admitted to having “a couple” of shots, and officials said they found an empty vodka bottle in his vehicle.
"Clearly this defendant has a real issue with alcohol and it must be addressed before an innocent person is seriously harmed,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said. “We will hold those who drink and drive accountable, whether it is on our roads or even in a court parking lot.”
Smith authorized the charge of operating with a high BAC, a 180-day misdemeanor, against Gird.
Gird was arraigned Friday and is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. He is expected to return to court March 5 for a pre-trial hearing.