Five Charged at Route 1 DUI Checkpoint

Police arrested five people over the weekend during a sobriety checkpoint in North Laurel, according to a statement from the Howard County Police Department (HCPD). 

Between Friday night and Saturday morning, police said 690 vehicles passed through the checkpoint, which was on Route 1 northbound at Davis Avenue and staffed by Maryland State Police and HCPD.

Three drivers, including one 18-year-old, were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, said police. The teen was given an additional charge related to being underage, according to Sherry Llewellyn, spokeswoman for HCPD. 

Two people were arrested for driving on suspended licenses, said police.

All drivers were provided with literature on the dangers of drinking and driving, said police. Of the 690 vehicles checked, police pulled over seven vehicles for further evaluation based on probable cause, said Llewellyn.

“Some of them did not meet the legal limit for impairment or intoxication and they were permitted to go on their way," she said.

Police would not disclose the hours of the checkpoint. "We don't release the exact hours," said Llewellyn.

“The location and times are determined using data that identifies an area as having a higher incidence of DUI problems and vehicle collisions,” said Llewellyn. 

Last month, a woman was charged with DUI  where the checkpoint was set up—Davis Avenue at Route 1—after police said she hit a police car with her Chevrolet Cruze. Police said the collision was not a factor in determining where to have the sobriety checkpoint.

“The checkpoint was not related to the officer’s vehicle that was struck by the drunk driver,” said Llewellyn. “In fact, the checkpoint location was identified weeks earlier.

HCPD conducts three to four DUI checkpoints annually, said Lllewellyn. The last one was planned for the fourth of July weekend but was cancelled due to weather, according to police. In March, police said a checkpoint on MD 175 at Columbia Gateway Drive .

Alcohol was involved in 25 percent of fatal crashes in Howard County in 2011, according to police.

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