Suspected drunken driver crashes into car in Freedom Township, deputies say

By Lee Higgins Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 1:44 p.m.

A man was arrested Thursday, on suspicion of drunken driving, after investigators say he crashed into a car in Freedom Township and continued driving.

The 59-year-old Canton man was taken into custody after he was found passed out behind the wheel of a Lexus in Bridgewater Township, Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies say he crashed into a Chevrolet HHR on Schneider Road in Freedom Township about 3 p.m. and continued driving. The HHR ended up in a ditch, sheriff's department spokesman Derrick Jackson said.

Another driver checked on the driver of the HHR and, after calling police, followed the driver of the Lexus to Bemis Road in Bridgewater Township, Jackson said.

When deputies arrested the driver of the Lexus, they found an open liquor bottle in the car, Jackson said. The driver was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, where he consented to having his blood drawn, so investigators could determine his blood-alcohol level, Jackson said. Results are not yet available.

The man arrested has not yet been arraigned in court.