By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Last weekend in Hays, the police department reported a sudden spike in DUI cases, with five DUI arrests made on Feb. 19 and two more the next day.
"I want to remind people not to drink and drive," said Police Chief Don Scheibler. "I know they have been locked up during COVID and the cold weather, but we have to be responsible."
While he said he is appreciative of the work to identify impaired drivers by officers and remove them from the roads, he would rather see people make the right choice and not drive while intoxicated.
"We appreciate the hard work of the officers, being out there and being proactive, but we really need people to call for and Uber, get a designated driver or limit their drinking," Scheibler said.
He said typically Hays will average one or two arrests on a weekend and with COVID restrictions in place along with the recent cold snap, there have been even fewer DUI arrests.
"It was surprising for us to see that many DUIs in a weekend, but again the officers are out there being proactive," Scheibler said. "People just have to understand if you are going to drink and drive there is a good chance you are going to get arrested. It's not worth it."
A recent example of the dangers of drinking and driving in Hays occurred just after the weekend spike.
"We had an injury accident (Monday) in the parking lot of Whiskey Creek," Scheibler said. "The vehicle drove across the parking lot on the backside of the business at a high rate of speed and end up striking a telephone pole, destroying the front end of the vehicle and requiring him to be transported to the hospital."
Following an investigation into the incident, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.