Cops: Man who ran car into house had .30 BAC
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Police say a man accused of driving a car into a West Side home early Sunday registered a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.
Terry Bucklew, 29, of Mahoning Court, was charged with driving under the influence along with several other traffic violations after his car rammed into a house in the first block of Millet Avenue about 3 a.m. Sunday.
Police were called to the house by the homeowner, and when they arrived, the car was gone, but a driver’s license belonging to Ashley Birchfield, 30, of Millet Avenue, was found in the driveway. Also, the woman who owned the home wrote down the license-plate number, reports said.
Reports said officers traced the car to Hampton Court, and when they talked to the owner, he told police he allowed Bucklew and Birchfield to use his car. The car had damage to its bumper and a headlight, reports said.
From there, police traced Bucklew and Birchfield to Mahoning Court. Reports said Bucklew had a strong odor of alcohol on him and was so drunk he could not stand up and had trouble talking.
Reports said Birchfield admitted to police that Bucklew was driving, and after he rammed into the house, she switched seats with him and drove away. She was issued a citation for fleeing the scene of an accident and given a court date in municipal court for today.
Bucklew was taken to the police station, and he agreed to take a breath test, reports said. Reports said he registered a 0.30 blood-alcohol content. The legal limit for drunken driving in Ohio is 0.08.
Bucklew also was issued several citations and given a court date for today. Reports said that because he registered such a high alcohol content on the breath test, his driver’s license was suspended immediately.