Police: Man drove to jail while intoxicated

Police said a Massachusetts man was drunk when he drove himself to prison to serve a sentence for drunken driving.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100409/NEWS04/4090361/1003/NEWS02 # # # # Police: Man drove to jail while intoxicated  •  Rutland Herald  •  By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: April 9, 2010  •  SPRINGFIELD — Police said a Massachusetts man was drunk when he drove himself to prison to serve a sentence for drunken driving.  •  Police said Timothy Carney, 42, of Sudbury, Mass., was under the influence when he showed up at the Springfield prison Tuesday to serve a one-to-two-day sentence for drunken driving.  •  Carney arrived at 5:47 p.m., 17 minutes after he was supposed to report to the prison, and during the intake process, correctional officers observed Carney had been drinking, said Andrew Pallito, commissioner of the state Department of Corrections.  •  "Our correctional officers smelled alcohol on him, verified he had driven there (to the prison) and called state police," Pallito said. "We do an intake process where we ask about their mental health and their medical history and they have to sit across from a correctional officer working a booking post."  •  It appears Carney was able to sneak in a few drinks between court and prison. Between 4 and 4:30 p.m., Carney pleaded guilty in White River Junction District Court to a charge of drunken driving, said David Cahill, Windsor County deputy state's attorney. Police said his blood alcohol concentration was 0.13.  •  According to court records, on Sept. 4, Carney drove into a DUI checkpoint on Route 131 in Ascutney near the intersection with Interstate 91.  •  Carney stumbled while exiting his vehicle and clung to the door for support, records state, before failing his sobriety exercises.  •  Carney had a blood alcohol content of 0.238 when police processed him for DUI, records state. His 13-year-old son was in the car when police stopped him, according to affidavits.  •  Cahill said people have shown up intoxicated at the prison before.  •  "It is not uncommon for people to show up under the influence of alcohol or drugs, either because they are nervous or because they want to have a good time the first few hours they are there," Cahill said.  •  While the incident itself is not unheard of, the speed with which it happened is unprecedented.  •  "This will probably be the quickest DUI-2 turnaround I have ever prosecuted," Cahill said.  •  Carney was released from prison Wednesday. He is scheduled to appear April 27 in White River Junction District Court to answer a charge of drunken driving, second offense. Carney could not be reached for comment.  •