|
Home Search |
Published on Saturday, December 28, 2002
in the Pensacola News Journal
Law enforcement agencies in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are warning holiday revelers of a weekend crackdown on impaired drivers.
Officers staffed a checkpoint late Friday near the 300 block of U.S. 98 in Gulf Breeze - a few blocks from where a alcohol-related crash killed two 20-year-old women in May.
Meagan Napier and Lisa Dickson lost their lives when they were hit by a Jeep driven by Eric Smallridge, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said. Smallridge had a blood-alcohol content of 0.201 percent - more than twice the limit allowed under law, law officers said.
He faces charges on two counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence and two counts of homicide while driving in a reckless manner.
Officers plan to shift their efforts tonight to the city of Pensacola, where they will set up a checkpoint in the 3200 block of Navy Boulevard.
On Monday night, the DUI Task Force of Northwest Florida will return to Santa Rosa County, where officers will set up a checkpoint in the 4000 block of U.S. 90 in Pace.
The task force is a coalition of officers from Escambia and Santa Rosa county sheriff's offices, Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and Milton police departments and the Florida Highway Patrol.
"It's a cooperative effort of all law enforcement in Northwest Florida to remove from the streets the criminals who think they're out having a good time drinking and driving," said Lt. Tom Moore, Highway Patrol spokesman. "It's not about going out and arresting as many people as we can. It's about deterrence. But if we catch you, we'll do our best to make sure you spend the rest of the night behind bars."