LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Jan. 28, 2010)—On Wednesday, Jan. 20, police in St. Mary's County conducted exercises designed to arrest drunk drivers and underage drinkers. The exercise apparently targeted the students of St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City.
The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, Maryland State Police, and the Public Safety Office for St. Mary's College conducted a sobriety check point in the area of Point Lookout Road and Mattapany Road in Saint Mary's City—an intersection very close to the college campus and one of the few roadways in the rural area. Police say approximately 72 vehicles passed through the check point.
In addition to the checkpoint, police conducted what they call "saturation patrols" in the area. Saturation patrols involve having a relatively large number of police vehicles patrolling the area in and around the checkpoint, specifically looking for DUI drivers and underage drinkers.
The following five individuals were arrested for DUI:
-- Walter Lee Payne III, 22 years of age from Mechanicsville;
-- Edward Wilson Avlo V, 21 years of age from Lexington Park;
-- James Richard Hammet III, 37 years of age from Hollywood;
-- Allen Dennis Davis Jr., 28 years of Lexington Park; and
-- Erin Reid Coonradt, 26 years of age of Lexington Park.
Three civil citations were issued to subjects under the age of 21 in possession of alcoholic beverages. Five other arrests were made for various traffic violations.
Police did not disclose if any of those arrested or cited were students at the college.
During one contact, DFC Kevin P. Meyer #186 identified and arrested James Francis Lacouture, 27, of Lusby on an open arrest warrant for failure to pay child support. Lacouture was on Calvert County's "Most Wanted" list.
This exercise was made possible by the St. Mary's Highway Safety Program with funding support from the Maryland State Highway Administration. Underage Drinking funds were provided by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) under grant number EUDL-2008-1007.
St. Mary's College of Maryland is owned and operated by the State of Maryland.