Man Tries to Fool Breathalyzer

Thanks to SCF reader Sarah for the tip!
Courtesy of Ottawa Citizen

TORONTO-- An accused drunk driver tried, but failed, to foil a police breathalyzer after stuffing his mouth full of feces.

"I don't think alcohol alone would make you do something as disgusting as that," South Simcoe police Insp. Tom McDonald said. "I've never heard of anything like this before," said the 28-year police veteran.

Arrested Sunday after his Ford pickup was pulled over on a highway just outside Barrie, Ont., the 59-year-old driver was loaded into a cruiser and taken to a police station for testing. En route, Sgt. James Buchanan said the prisoner vomited, urinated and defecated in the rear of the squad car. After arriving at the station, he said the man grabbed a handful of his own waster "and placed it in his mouth, attempting to trick the breathalyzer machine."

It didn't work, Sgt. Buchanan said. He alleged the machine registered two readings of intoxication. Both were more than twice the legal limit. Officers called in paramedic to check the man.

"They helped him clean himself up," Insp. McDonald said. "This fellow was in dire need of help. It's bizarre, but the effects of alcohol can make people do strange things." The motorist was charged with impaired driving. He was released on a promise to appear in a Bradford, Ont. court on May 12. Insp. MacDonald said the cruiser took two hours to clean using industrial cleaners, "and it's back on the road."