'Super drunk' driver arrested with gun after hit-and-run crash
A drunken 24-year-old man with a gun in his car was arrested by Ypsilanti police officers early Sunday morning after he caused a hit and run crash, police said.
Police responded at 2:05 a.m. Sunday to the 200 block of West Michigan Avenue in downtown after a report of a hit and run crash, according to Detective Sgt. Troy Fulton.
Police arrested Derek Pike, who lives in Troy, near the scene of the crash, Fulton said.
Pike was intoxicated and officers found a handgun inside the vehicle during a search, Fulton said. Pike registered a 0.24 and 0.26 on tests at the scene of the arrest.
Fulton said Pike rear-ended a woman as he was driving near the intersection of Washington Street and Ferris Street. As she called police, Pike got into his car and drove away but only made it a block before he was pulled over, Fulton said.
Pike told police there was a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the car's glove box and he did not have a permit for it, Fulton said.
According to court records, Pike is being charged under Michigan’s so-called “Super Drunk” law for people who drive with a blood alcohol level above 0.17. A driver is considered drunk in Michigan at 0.08 blood alcohol content.
He’s also been charged with carrying a concealed weapon, operating while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, failing to stop at an accident causing property damage and possessing a firearm while intoxicated.
Pike has been arraigned on the charges and is scheduled to return to court at 8:30 a.m. March 13 for a preliminary examination, according to court officials.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
nickcarraweigh
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 8:35 p.m.
The clear implication of a "super drunk" statute is that maybe you aren't really drunk at .08, which is barely more than half the decades long standard of .15. Indeed, some are not demonstrably intoxicated at .08 levels while others can't get off their bar stool without falling down at .04. The existence of a single standard applied to a variable impact is strictly for the convenience of law enforcement. If you didn't have it, the courts would be clogged with motorists trying to prove their personal abilities were not impaired at any given level.
Dennis
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 8:22 p.m.
I thought .24-.30 was Mega Drunk
Joe_Citizen
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 6:21 p.m.
They named it to be understandable for everyone. This law was headed by MMADD (Mad Mother's against Drunk Drivers), was actually a good idea, because it received quick attention. It basically changed the law to include higher blood levels read off the Breathalyzer.
MK
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 4:38 p.m.
Sounds like a winner
Thinking over here
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 4:07 p.m.
Where's the mug shot
cal
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 3:20 p.m.
Was Superdrunk wearing his cape at the time? I wonder what it looks like.
Dog Guy
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 2:44 p.m.
Check again: Was he texting? Was the car stolen? Was he peeking at the woman? This case could win Ypsilanti P. D. this year's clean sweep award.
Ann English
Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 12:22 a.m.
I would think that anyone with a .24 blood alcohol content wouldn't be able to see well enough to text. Because it happened in the wee hours of the morning, I wonder if both the man and the woman had been at parties just before getting into their cars.
shutthefrtdoor
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
I cringe every time I read an article like this. I wonder if the person has a permit...which would in turn give ammo to the anti permit folks...no pun intended
djm12652
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 5:34 p.m.
if he did not have a permit for it, was it a stolen weapon? Gun laws require a Permit to Purchase when acquiring a gun. If the gun was purchased legally, unloaded with ammo in a different location than the weapon, and the glove box locked, he can legally transport it...getting drunk beyond drunk was his mistake. Perhaps the article should say he didn't have a Concealed permit?
cinnabar7071
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
"Pike told police there was a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the car's glove box and he did not have a permit for it, Fulton said."
Ricardo Queso
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.
Super freaky.
Morris Thorpe
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 1:04 p.m.
I thought "super drunk" referred to a witness quote or something...but that's the name of the law? Was it written by middle school girls? Our next law: Michigan's Totally Awesome Business Enticements.
Idiocracy
Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 3:47 p.m.
After I read this article I thought it was the name of the law also. It couldn't have been the quality writing in the article that confused people... one sentence paragraphs are the best!!!
Morris Thorpe
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 5:35 p.m.
I went by this: "Michigan's so-called "Super Drunk" law," though I'm not sure the words so-called were there when I read it. Still, it's like "Meghan's Law" and others like it, we don't refer to them as bill no. 12658234, but rather by their names given (usually) by the legislators. Woman in Ypsi, thank you but I'd rather be lighthearted than snarky. I used to think I was cynical but, after a few months of reading comments here, I feel like a dreamer and an optimist!
Mike S
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 5:29 p.m.
It says "Pike is being charged under Michigan's so-called "Super Drunk" law"… whoever gave it that moniker thankfully passed on "[e]Xtreme Drunk".
Woman in Ypsilanti
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 4:52 p.m.
No, no. Please keep up the snarky comments because they are entertaining as heck even if not completely accurate ;)
ozzer
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 4 p.m.
That is not the name of the law; on the Secretary of State web site, the > 0.17 scenario is referred to as "High Blood Alcohol Content". Where does the article above imply that state legislators gave it the official name of "Super Drunk"? You should do your homework before making snarky comments.
Manual Labor
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 12:58 p.m.
I for one would like to meet the idiot that came up with "Super Drunk". If you are drunk, you are drunk, end of story. Sounds to much like a political tool to use to just take everything you own.
rs
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 12:03 p.m.
They'll probably set his bail at $100 based on a promise to appear.
JRW
Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 8:23 p.m.
Where is the mug shot? Throw the book at this punk.
JRW
Thu, Mar 8, 2012 : 8:21 p.m.
Especially if it's Melinda Morris......
abc
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 : 11:43 a.m.
... caused a hit and run crash? Huh?