Drunk Woman Falls Asleep in Car on M-59, Off-Duty Deputy Helps Rescue Couple from Burning Home

Here is a crime round-up from the surrounding areas.

White Lake Police: Woman Stops Car on M-59, Falls Asleep Behind the Wheel

A 47-year-old woman from Howell was issued a citation for operating a vehicle while intoxicated after White Lake Township police say she passed out while her car was stopped on M-59 near Ormond.

According to the report, police arrived on the scene Jan. 1 at 2:20 a.m. and found the woman in the car, with the door locked, unconscious. Her foot was on the brake pedal, and the car was stopped in the curb lane on M-59 in White Lake.

The report states that an officer woke the woman once and she took her foot off the brake causing the car to move. She slammed her foot back on the brake and went back to sleep, the report said.

The officer used a lockout tool to open the car and put it in park. While placing the car in park, the woman woke up again. The report states that the woman smelled like alcohol and failed all field sobriety tests. White Lake Township police noted they also found an open container that contained vodka and soda.

The woman was given a preliminary breath test and registered a .12 blood alcohol level, according to police. The legal limit is .08.

The woman was arrested and brought to the station. She was released once she was sober with a citation for operating while intoxicated and for having open intoxicants in the car.

Off-Duty Deputy Helps Rescue Couple from House Fire

An off-duty deputy from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department helped evacuate a couple from a burning home on the 100 block of Chilson Road, according to a report from the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department.

Police say that on Jan. 2, the off-duty deputy had been driving down Chilson Road around 11 p.m. when he noticed smoke. After stopping to investigate, the deputy saw flames in the windows of the home and immediately entered the residence looking for occupants.

The two residents were still inside having just woken up, according to the report, and the deputy assisted the couple outside.

According to the report, the female resident said she woke to the smell of smoke and after investigating, found a fire in the spare bedroom. Police say that shortly after that, the smoke detectors went off and the female resident went to wake up her husband.

Deputies and the chief of the Howell Area Fire Department arrived on scene and used fire extinguishers and buckets of water to attempt to control the fire until the Brighton Area Fire Department arrived on scene to extinguish the fire.

Man Arrested After Throwing Stolen Hitch Through Local Bar's Door

A 31-year-old was given a citation for malicious destruction of property after White Lake Township police say he broke the glass entry door at the White Lake Inn—causing more than $300 in damage.

According to the report, the incident happened Jan. 6 after the man was thrown out of the bar for being heavily intoxicated.

Witnesses told police the man took a hitch off of a random vehicle and threw it through the glass entryway to the bar.

The report states the man then took off running, but was caught by two employees with the bar. They held him until police arrived.

When police arrived, the man denied any wrongdoing.

He was arrested and taken to the White Lake Township police station where he was held until he was sober. Once sober, he was released with a citation for malicious destruction of property—he was not charged for taking the hitch.