A retired firefighter was arrested for DUI despite having a blood alcohol level of zero.
Jessie Thornton said he was arrested for driving under the influence in Surprise, Arizona because the officer said he looked intoxicated. When he arrived at the station later that night, the breathalyzer test told a very different story.
“He walked up and he said ‘I can tell you’re driving DUI by looking in your eyes,’” Thornton explained. When he told the officer that his eyes were bloodshot because he had just been swimming at a local fitness center, his story was immediately shot down.
He was then handcuffed and made to sit on the side of the road despite the hip and knee pain he experienced as a result. Thornton is scheduled for surgery in just a few days.
“I couldn’t even sit on the ground like that and they knew it and I was like laying on the ground, then they put me in the back of an SUV and when I asked the officer to move her seat up ’cause my hip hurt she told me to stop whining,” the retired firefighter explained.
Although the officers arrested Thornton on suspicion of DUI, police documents prove that his blood alcohol level was at zero during his brush with the law.
Before he was released to his wife, the man had his vehicle impounded and his license suspended . Thornton said he is out $5,000 that he doesn’t have as a result of the arrest.
Thornton said he switched his schedule in order to spend more time with his wife. Since she works as an emergency room nurse at night, he often sleeps during the day and runs errands during the evening. Thornton stated that this isn’t his first encounter with Arizona police.
“I’ve been stopped 10 times in Surprise and given four tickets, it’s amazing,” he explained.
His recent run in with Arizona police prompted Thornton to consider filing a lawsuit against the department. The retired firefight has reportedly hired an attorney to look into the matter.
What do you think about the Arizona man who was arrested for DUI despite having a blood alcohol level of zero?
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