Officers arrest 14 during checkpoint


05/30/08
Alice DuPont
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At least seven people died in automobile accidents in Gadsden County so far this month. Thursday night the Florida Highway Patrol, the Quincy Police Department, and the Chattahoochee Police Department teamed up for a sobriety checkpoint. Between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. all vehicles traveling east or west on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. at Industrial Drive were stopped. FHP Sgt. Brannon Snead said the site was chosen based on accidents and the number of tickets written in the vicinity. By the end of the night seven people had been arrested on outstanding warrants, two on drug arrests, five had written warnings and three faulty equipment citations had been written. Snead said the objective of the checkpoint close to the Memorial Day holiday was to deter DUI, insure that drivers have a proper drivers license, identify impaired drivers before they are involved in an accident, and check for proper equipment[b]. The checkpoint begin at 9 p.m. and within the first minute two vehicles had been pulled over for closer inspection. The driver of a pickup truck, a Mexican male, did not have a drivers license, no Green Card, and no other forms of identification. Sgt. Snead explained that in a situation like this the driver is arrested and detained for immigration. But Thusday nights arrest had a twist. One of the teenage passengers became upset with the officers and unleased a torrent of insults. He was taken into custody and charged with obstruction. When the young man’s mother arrived, Sgt. Robert Mixon of the Quincy Police Department explained in Spanish the charges and the circumstances. Capt. Mike Burroughs, district commander, said the young man needed to be taught that he must respect law enforcement officers. The teen’s mother and father agreed that their son was out of line and agreed to chastise him at home. “He will still have to go before the judge because he need to learn a lesson,â€